


Blue Shells and Comic Books

by SonofHades



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, Keith and Shiro are stepbrothers, M/M, Parents appear down the road, The Voltron story exists in a graphic novel, fanboy Lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-26 17:31:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 70,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9913409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonofHades/pseuds/SonofHades
Summary: Lance has too much time on his hands, Keith doesn't have enough. Lance leans more towards being outgoing and sociable, while Keith keeps to himself and can be mostly unpleasant. Neither think they have anything in common. What they don't realize, however, is that there happens to be a very popular graphic novel that connects them together. Lance happens to be an avid reader and Keith just happens to secretly be the author.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is new for me. I've always written in the same fandom for the past... four? Five years? But I've been obsessed with Voltron since I was a little kid, so it was inevitable that I write a fic for it. Plus I am Klance trash. So, welcome to the new readers that may come along, and I'm hoping that some of my old readers read this as well. I'm sure they will. Voltron is such a big fandom. 
> 
> So, I made this fic after just an hour or two of looking through several lists of au ideas and marking ones that I thought could fit together. It's not meant to be a long fic. Probably no more than 10 chapters. I'm in the process of turning one of my other fics into a book at the moment, and just needed something new to work on while I take care of all that. So I have one or two other short story ideas that I'll probably work on after this one. Probably also klance. I might also write Otayuri for the YOI fandom. But I suppose that's enough rambling. Onto the story!

There were both pros and cons when it came to fall, at least for Lance. Pros included perfect weather, being free from his parents' watchful gaze, falling leaves to make diving piles—don't judge him—and a new school year to meet new people. Cons would include getting closer to winter and freezing to death, being away from his family, and having to go back to school. At least he wasn't living in a dorm room this year.

Speaking of new living conditions, one of Lance's roommates walked by the boy's door. “Pidge!” Lance exclaimed, rolling off his bed from where he was laying with his head off the side and reading the latest volume of the graphic novel he was reading. “Where are you off to? I'm bored.”

Sticking her head back in, Pidge gave Lance a dull look. “Off to the library. Need to get a head start on my assignments.”

“Your classes are already loading you down?”

Pidge adjusted her glasses as Lance came to lean against his door frame. “Lance, our classes have been back in session for a month now.” Lance just gave her a blank look and scratched at his cheek. “Or have you forgotten?”

“No!” Red filled Lance's already tan cheeks. “I mean, I might have missed a few, but I can get the notes.” He could already hear his mother scolding him for even missing one class. After letting his grades slip last semester, Lance's mother had only agreed to let him live in apartment if he kept his grades up. And she was probably paying Pidge to spy for her. “Where's Hunk?”

There was a quick glance at her phone before Pidge said, “At the library, I think. He said something about a semester-long project.” She was practically bouncing on her heels, ready to get out the door. “He had to meet his partner there.” Pidge eyed the graphic novel Lance was holding. “Is that the latest copy of Voltron?”

A smirk crossed Lance's lips as he showed the graphic novel to his friend. “Of course! Just got my hands on it last night. You want to borrow it when I'm through?”

“Definitely. But it'll have to wait until I'm caught up on my work.”

Lance let out a groan as Pidge finally got tired of waiting and left their apartment. Alone again. This was normal for Pidge, though. Last year, when they were all freshman and living in the dorms, Lance and Hunk only saw Pidge for meals and the occasional hangout whenever the genius wasn't busy. He just wished that Hunk wasn't so busy now. Stupid group project. Stupid person hogging Lance's best friend.

This was just abnormal for Lance to be alone. Growing up, he had always been surrounded by his brothers and sisters, plus Hunk, and his parents. So Lance just didn't do well when he was alone and bored. There was always getting an early start on his own assignments...

Nah!

An hour seemed to pass by like an eternity. Lance moved back and forth between the living room, his room, and the kitchen. If he had still been at his parents' house, his mother would have nagged him to stop opening the fridge to just stare inside of it. He got hungry when he got bored. But nothing ever sounded good to eat either. 

With much reluctance, Lance got himself a shower and changed into some clean clothes. Then he laid on his bed for fifteen minutes, then the floor, and then he moved to the couch, where he slouched into an almost unnatural position for anything other than a class. Maybe the yoga classes his older sister had dragged him to had paid off. He had already read through the graphic novel twice, and wanted adamantly to discuss it with someone. But he couldn't until his friends finished it. Unfortunately, they were both swamped with school work.

He was about to go insane when the front door opened. Sluggishly, Lance tilted his head back right as Hunk was pointing someone into the kitchen. Lance arched a brow as Hunk shut the door behind himself.

Both of Hunk's eyebrows raised as he took notice of Lance's awkward position on the couch. “Isn't that uncomfortable?”

“Not as uncomfortable as it's going to be for you when I steal the heart of your partner there.” Lance craned his neck to try and peer into the kitchen. “Did you partner with Shay again?”

“Nah,” Hunk replied as he waved a hand back and forth, “we don't have any classes together this semester.”

A sly grin crept over Lance's face as he slipped up from the couch. “So... what you're saying is that I can call dibs on this lovely lady that you call a partner?”

“Actually,” came a voice from behind Lance, “I'm a guy.” Lance spun around to find... a mullet. And a scowl. “But thanks for the compliment on calling me lovely.”

A dull look filled this other guy's eyes as he stared back at Lance, who felt his face heat up with embarrassment. Hunk was being a great friend by laughing at Lance's predicament. A+ friendship there Hunk. The other guy, however, didn't even seem amused by Lance's embarrassment.

Hunk was the first to break the silence between them. “Right. So, we were working in the library, but Keith here suggested we get a head start on some of our work. And it's going to take a few hours to sort through our research and assign things for each of us to read. That's when I suggested we come back here, so we could take a break for dinner later. Plus snacks.”

Keith. Lance glanced back at the guy that was partnered with Hunk. The guy should really look into getting a haircut, he would look much better. Definitely trying to rock the punk or emo look with his red leather jacket that cut off just a little too short, fingerless gloves, boots, and pants that hugged his legs in all the right places. What? Lance had eyes and was bisexual. The only thing the guy needed was that haircut.

“Why are you staring at my hair?” Keith asked with a twitch of his eye.

Lance just narrowed his eyes as he leered at the guy. “Why do you have a mullet?”

Hunk snickered as Keith's face flushed. “It's not a m-mullet!” the boy shouted. Lance just smirked. “You must be Lance. Hunk was talking about you and Pidge on the way back here. Putting gender aside, I can only assume you're not the genius one.”

“Damn,” Hunk snickered under his breath.

Content to ignore Lance, Keith smiled at Hunk and motioned towards the kitchen. “Ready to get back to work?” he asked. Hunk smiled and waved at Lance as he retreated into the kitchen, leaving the boy to land on the couch with a pout. Keith tossed a wave over his shoulder as he followed after Hunk. “Have fun with your... whatever it is you were doing.”

“I can have fun all by myself, thank you very much!” Lance snapped back.

Keith called from the kitchen, “I bet you can.” Hunk cackled and Lance's face turned super red.

\-------------------------------------------

It was almost a week before Keith saw Lance again. But everything else was keeping them busy, and neither Keith or Hunk had managed to be free at the same time. Luckily, they had assigned research already, and Keith had been keeping up with his part. Keith popped his neck as he stepped into the campus coffee shop. He let out a groan and narrowed his eyes as his phone buzzed in his hand.

Not paying attention to anything in front of him, Keith slowly stepped towards the counter as he sent a text to Allura. I'm awake, he texted his friend. His stepbrother's girlfriend worried too much about him now that he was attending college with them. There was another text that he must have overlooked when he first woke up.

Don't forget your deadlines.

He ignored that text for now and looked at Allura's response, letting him know that she was proud of him. Proud of what? Proud of him getting out of bed on time? Allura was too supportive for her own good sometimes. This was just normal now, though, ever since Keith had come out to the family at the beginning of the summer. So supportive that Allura had talked Shiro into asking Keith to move in with them. Something that neither brother wanted. Shiro for the privacy, and Keith... he just didn't need to hear certain things from his brother's room at night.

“Well, well,” came an all too familiar voice directly in front of Keith, “if it isn't mullet.”

Keith felt his eye twitch as he looked up from his phone to find Lance behind the counter with an apron on. And how did he even look so alive in the morning? Like his skin looked fucking pristine! No dead look in his eyes or bags under them.

Keith slid his phone into his back pocket and crossed his arms as he looked up at the menu, ignoring Lance's gaze. He couldn't look at that face right now, not this early. He might punch it. “They actually let you out of the zoo to get a job?” Keith could sense the smirk forming on Lance's lips and could see him move in the corner of his peripheral vision. “You're not going to screw with my coffee, are you?”

“Me?” Lance scoffed. He had leaned on the counter with his hands propping his chin up. Keith felt heat rise to his cheeks. Why did the annoying guy have to be cute? “I wouldn't do that. Besides, you look dead already.”

When it was time to pick up his coffee, Keith glared at his cup and then up at Lance, who grinned and finger gunned him. Instead of Keith's name, Lance had written “Mullet.” It was very tempting to toss his coffee at Lance's smug face, but Keith depended on his morning coffee to get him through the day.

Instead he just flipped Lance off and headed out the door, stirring his cream into his coffee. And he managed to run into Shiro and Matt on the way to his first class. “Are you two sure you're not real brothers?” Matt commented with a grin between the two. “Because you both have the same look on your faces in the morning.”

It was true, neither Shiro or Keith were morning people. In fact, Shiro probably would take much later classes... if he weren't dating Allura, who was a morning person. How Shiro had not gone insane from all the cheer he exposed himself to was beyond Keith.

Shiro—ignoring his best friend—said, “Allura wants you to come over for dinner tonight.” Keith just grunted his acknowledgment and tilted his cup back to drink his coffee. Both Shiro and Matt's eyes widened a little, but neither said anything.

“What?” Keith asked.

Matt beat Shiro to it. “Is your coffee hot today, Keith?”

Frowning, Keith just took another sip. “Of course it is. Iced coffee is gross.” He glanced at the side of his cup to see what they were looking at. Looked ordinary. “What the fuck is wrong with you two?”

“Nothing,” Shiro snickered. “Matt must be running a... fever.” Matt chuckled and elbowed Shiro. “No but really, is the coffee good?”

What the hell? His brother had lost his mind. Checking the time, Keith cursed under his breath. He didn't have time to deal with their nonsense. “I'll be there for dinner, just a little late. I have to work on my group project with my partner.” Then he shoved his cup into Shiro's hand and bolted towards his class.

Later, when it was time for Keith to head to Hunk's place, he knocked on the door. It took a few seconds, but the door was finally opened. Keith felt an aneurysm coming on. Seeing Lance once today was enough. Sure he knew that the guy would probably be home, but Keith had hoped that Lance might actually stay in his room. Or just not be home. But there he was, answering the door, in shorts baggy enough that they threatened to fall off his thin hips and a sleeveless shirt that exposed way too much skin.

Color immediately flooded to Lance's cheeks as he realized who was at the door. Clearing his throat, Lance straightened his posture and said, “Sorry, I don't accept unsolicited callers. You'll have to put in an application and be put on the waiting list.”

“Must be a very short list.” It pleased Keith to see Lance stumble a bit. “I'm here for Hunk. We are supposed to do some more work on our project.”

“Oh.” Lance stepped aside and motioned inside the apartment. “He's still on his way home, but you can wait inside, if you want.”

There was definitely some hesitation from Keith. Did he really want to be alone with Lance? Would the guy even shut up? Still, it did beat standing outside like a lame person. Plus it would be rude at this point, right? So, Keith just nodded and stepped past Lance to enter the apartment.

Inside, Keith felt on edge. It was like he was walking on glass. Lance just motioned to the couch before taking a spot on the floor and picking up a controller. As soon as he did, Keith became suddenly aware of the game on TV as noise blared from it. Mario Kart. And Lance had opted for Mario. How basic. But then Lance did something that Keith didn't expect.

He offered Keith a controller.

Keith's eyes darted from the controller to Lance, and then back again. Did he seriously want Keith to play with him? They barely knew each other. Calm down, Keith told himself, it wasn't like Lance was proposing to him or anything. Still, it didn't stop him from uttering the words, “Why do you want me to play?”

“Because... I'm bored?” Lance had a perplexed look on his face as he waited for Keith to take the controller. “I understand if you don't wanna play, it's okay to be scared.”

There was not a time that Keith had ever sat down so fast in his life. He quickly scanned the characters and heard Matt's voice in his head from when he beat Shiro at this game. A smirk touched at Keith's lips as he locked in his character.

“Wario? Lame.”

There was no point in responding to that, Keith figured. He just waited as the game loaded up. And then they were off. Lance held his controller up closer to his face and leaned with the turns as they went, trying to shake Keith from off his tail. But Keith wasn't about to budge. He just sat there, calmly, and waited.

And Lance was so busy trying to stay ahead that he did not notice what Keith picked up halfway through the race. He probably got too frustrated because Keith passed him early on and wouldn't give up his lead. So, Keith had to sit on his trump card until that circumstance changed. And it did, right at the last turn.

Lance pulled ahead and let out a whoop as he charged ahead of Keith. His finger slowly repositioned on the controller as Keith waited until Lance was just about to hit the finish line. With one push of a button, Keith crushed Lance and his chance of victory as he unleashed his secret weapon. The cry that followed from Lance was so loud and high-pitched that it risked breaking glass and almost made Keith go deaf.

“I can't believe you blue shelled me!”

As Keith put down his controller, he tried his best not to look smug. He failed. There was a snarky comment working its way out of Keith's mouth, but it fell short as someone said, “He would have beat you anyways.”

Standing there was... “Matt?” Keith asked. It couldn't be. Matt was supposed to still be in class. But this person looked nearly identical to Shiro's friend. But wait, Matt said he had a sibling, right? “Wait, are you Matt's sister?”

“You know my brother?” The girl stood there with a mug of coffee and a pencil tucked behind her ear. “I'm Pidge. And you are?”

“He's Hunk's partner,” Lance said before Keith could get out an answer.

Rolling his eyes, Keith just said, “I'm Shiro's stepbrother.”

Lance was already playing another game now, not wanting Keith to join him in this one. “You two know each other?” He pouted, not taking his eyes off the screen. “And what do you mean that he still would have beat me?”

Grinning as she adjusted her glasses, Pidge said, “Same strategy my brother and I employ. Always pick Wario. He, statistically, has the better win rate on more than half of the maps.” She shrugged at the dark look on Lance's face. “I'm going to assume Keith here learned from the many times my brother claims to have beaten Shiro with the same strategy.”

“Well I want a rematch!” Lance exclaimed as the front door opened and Hunk walked in.

Saved. A smile was plastered all over Keith's face as he handed the controller back to Lance and got to his feet. “Sorry, looks like I'll have to get a rain check on that. Maybe next time.”

Before he entered the kitchen, Keith looked back to smirk one last time at Lance. The boy seemed zoned out, but blinked and focused back on his game when he noticed Keith staring at him. Keith just raised a brow at Lance and sat down at the table with Hunk. This would definitely be an interesting semester. He just couldn't get too distracted by a cute face, because there were plenty of people that would kill him if he got behind on any of his work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is actually very short by my standards. I usually write 12 page chapters minimum. So the next one might be a little longer. I'm hoping that everything was okay, though. There will be some time skips here and there with the chapters, but not too drastic. I do want the fic to probably end in the spring maybe? And they are in like middle to late September right now. Winter break will probably be skipped over for the most part. I'm just hoping I do all right by the Voltron fandom.
> 
> But I will not drone on for a long time. I'm going to go. I have to finish with some cleaning, because I have a friend crashing at my place tonight, so he can drive out early in the morning and not have so far to drive. I'm not entirely sure when I will have another chapter for this yet. Like I said, it's something for me to do that is fresh and not related to the book I'm working on. Which, if any of you want to check out, can be found on here. It's titled "House of the Wicked" and just make sure that you choose that one, and not the old version that is titled the same, but has more on the title. More recently updated one. And I'm still writing it, so if any of you are interested, you can get a look at what I'm working on. I do write fairly fast, so don't expect a super long wait. Most likely, I'm going to either write another chapter for HotW or do some editing for the changes that need to be made in the first thirteen chapters. And then I'll do the other one. So after that I will be back to this. And I will probably just rotate all three of those things, unless I feel inspired for one over the others.
> 
> Farewell for now! I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter, and feel free to leave me a review to let me know what you thought. See you soon!
> 
> PS: If you want to follow me on tumblr, I usually post when I'm working on, or about to publish, a chapter. Plus I reblog a lot of klance art. You can find me at xsonofhadesx on there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me, I'm a dirty liar. On several parts. Most recently, I said another day or two for this on tumblr, yet here it is. And in my last update, I said after I did some work on my book... yet here I am. So the reason for the quick post after the last one was because someone made me realize something very important about last chapter. Lance was not extra enough. I did not do him justice. So, I am hoping, I at least managed to capture him better with this update. I very well could have failed, but I think that I at least did a better job than last time.
> 
> Still not a super long chapter, but I don't expect them to get much longer for another chapter or two. When things pick up more between Keith and Lance. Also I wanted to get this chapter out before I lose myself to the Nintendo Switch that will be arriving for me in around twelve hours. Anyways, to the story!
> 
> Oh! As a reminder, Netflix's Voltron is the graphic novel that Keith is writing in the fic. So everything that has happened in the show is what everyone that reads it is experiencing. And this chapter does contain spoilers for the end of season 2 if any of you haven't watched yet. Just as a precaution.

“Are you even listening?”

Not really. Keith continued to stare out the window, his forehead pressed up against the glass. At least it was Thace he was dealing with today and not Kolivan. The latter probably would be yelling at Keith until he was purple, but Thace actually tried to look at Keith as a person.

“Keith,” Thace sighed, dropping the latest copy of Keith's work on his desk and leaned back in his chair, “we agreed that you could continue college, so long as you got your job done.” His finger pointed directly to the center of Keith's latest edition of Voltron. “If you don't get this done on time, it's not just us that you'll be letting down. There are millions of people out there that read this. You created it, I figured you would enjoy immersing yourself in it.”

Finally, Keith looked away from the sky and to his agent. Handler was a better term that Keith liked to use. “I do. It's just that I've been so distracted and tired lately.” He scratched his head and adjusted his position in his chair. “Is it the art or the plot that they don't like this time?”

It had been a little over two years since Keith had his first issue of the Voltron graphic novel printed and put to shelves. And that he owed to his mother. Unfortunately. Or, rather, he owed her old friend Kolivan, who ran the publishing company that had accepted his work. And it was never a pleasant moment for either side when it came time for each edition.

At least not until Thace.

Thace was the first that Keith got along with. Over the summer, the publishers had wanted Keith to stay out of college and focus on his work, but it was Thace that Keith owed for letting him keep a normal life. If it wasn't for Thace, they probably would have been printing Keith's face on the back of his graphic novels and shipping him off to conventions by now.

As he flipped through the pages for the two of them to look at, Thace replied, “Well it's not the art. I feel like you would be able to tell yourself if you were slipping.” He shook his head. “You need to come up with a new antagonist. Voltron defeated the Galra leader... at least for now.” He looked to Keith for clarity, and Keith nodded his head. “So come up with something else. We need a new edition. The one that drops today is the one where the black paladin goes missing, and I think you and I both know that people are going to go hysterical when they read that.”

“And?”

“And you need something to continue with.” Thace let the novel drop on his desk. “Create a new villain, come up with something for the paladins to do. Are you going to kill the black paladin? Will they find him? Is there going to be a romance?” An eyebrow was raised at Keith, who had his brow furrowed. “Your fans have been asking about that one for a while.”

After tapping his foot on the ground, Keith got impatient and stood up. “I just need some inspiration. I guess I'm in a slump. I'm amazed at myself for getting this far.” His fingers dug into his hair with a groan. “It was just some silly doodles that I made back in high school.”

“Yes, well,” Thace began, “it was good enough that we took it. It was good enough that Shiro showed your father, who talked to your mother about it.”

It was the first time they had talked since their divorce.

Thace spun back and forth in his chair, a pen tapping against his desk as he looked from Keith to his phone. “I'll tell you what. I'll get you an extension,” he narrowed his gaze as Keith let out a cheer, “but only a month longer than normal.” A finger was pointed sternly at Keith. “Don't let me down, Keith.”

Keith gathered up his bag and mouthed a thanks to Thace as he exited the man's office. He startled the secretary as he let out a cheer upon shutting the door. And he could even see the exasperated look that was probably on Thace's face upon hearing Keith's outburst.

It was a good thing that Thace let him go when he did. One look at Keith's phone told him that he was gonna be late to get to Hunk's apartment if he had been in there much longer. As he got down to his car, Keith shoved his bag over into the passenger seat and set out to drive back towards the university.

With the help of low traffic, Keith got there five minutes early. He shoved his bag to the floor and reached for his backpack in the backseat. If he had more time, he would have taken the other bag back to his dorm already. Keith hated taking his work around other people, too nervous that they might get a look at his work and figure things out. The main reason Keith had not wanted to do this at first was because he just wanted to be a normal guy, not someone that people would fawn over at conventions.

And the amount of letters and emails Keith got definitely let him know that people were obsessed with his work.

Hunk opened the door for Keith and they stepped inside. “How are you doing today? Weekend going well?” the guy asked upon shutting the door.

There was some strange soothing music coming from the living room. Keith's brow furrowed and tried to focus on Hunk's face. “It's going.” This was why it was hard for Keith to make friends. What could he really talk about? Talking about his life meant telling people what he did. And, aside from his interactions with Shiro, Allura, or Matt, Keith's life only really consisted of working on his graphic novel.

Perhaps instead of Hunk, Keith should have been focusing on where they were walking. Because, when he finally looked for the source of the music, Keith found a very tightly clothed ass basically in his face. There Lance was, bent over in a very uncomfortable looking position as he basically formed a triangle. Then he stood up, and one leg came up and Lance grabbed it behind his head, pulling it up even higher. Yet it was just very hard to look away from Lance's ass in yoga pants. Just yoga pants.

Looking up was probably a mistake, because then Keith's eyes had Lance's back seared into his retinas. Nice shoulders that led down to thin hips. And those legs in the yoga pants were basically a sin. Was it always this hot in the apartment?

“Your face is very red, Keith,” Hunk decided to point out.

Lance dropped his leg and turned around. Why was Keith cursed to endure this? His torso was lean. There was something so very alluring to Keith about the dark skin of Lance's exposed body. Like it had been blessed in the light of the sun.

Stop staring, Keith mentally slapped himself. Too late. Lance already had a huge grin plastered across his face. “The first look is free, but I charge after that.” As if to make things worse, Lance stretched his arms above his head, further showing off his chest muscles.

And then there was an arm around Keith's shoulders. Lance was so very close now, grinning within inches of Keith's face. Keith had his fists clenched. He was no longer sure if he was embarrassed or irritated. “Don't hold your breath,” was all Keith's brain could come up with.

For some unholy reason, Lance decided to follow them into the kitchen, thankfully putting on a shirt. Not that it did anything to hide his perky behind. Keith sat down for only a moment before a leg and foot was placed directly in front of him. Lance decided it was time to do some stretches. Meanwhile, Hunk just sat there like he didn't see Lance at all. Perhaps he was used to it.

Wanting some space, Keith slammed his textbook down on Lance's leg. The boy drew back with a howl. Then he was on the kitchen floor like some wounded animal. Lance whimpered and cradled his leg, scowling at Keith all the while.

“Rude,” was all that Lance said at first. Keith ignored him and went back to setting up for his and Hunk's work. Apparently, being ignored wasn't going to fly with Lance at all. Because Lance's foot was shoved back in Keith's face, where Keith blinked at it in surprise. “Kiss it and make it better.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Keith asked in disbelief. “We are trying to work here.”

Huffing, Lance finally sat down on a chair and crossed his arms on the table, lip jutted out in a pout. This boy, Keith thought irritably to himself. And he was about to retort, when the front door opened and Pidge called out, “I'm home!”

Lance was up and to the door like a bullet out of a gun. The chair was still wobbling by the time that Keith even realized what had happened. “Did you get it?” Lance asked impatiently, around the corner and out of sight. Then came a whoop and Lance running off towards his room.

“Hey!” Pidge called after him. “Don't hog it too long, I want to know what happened too!”

Keith let his head fall back with a groan. Thank god that Lance was now distracted with something. As long as it kept him busy long enough for Keith and Hunk to get their work done. Pidge came into the kitchen and retrieved a snack, eyeing Hunk's laptop.

“How's the project going?”

Hunk finally looked up. “Making good progress. I think we'll end up finishing a little earlier than planned. Still towards the end of the semester, but looking good.” He looked to Keith for his thoughts. “What do you think?”

“Um, yeah.” Keith chewed on his lips as he waited for his laptop to finish booting up. “I will be a little busy over the next few weeks, but I'll make time to make sure this is getting done.” His brow furrowed as a shriek came from Lance's room. “What is wrong with him?”

Pidge just laughed. “Well, I can make you a list. But if you mean just now, it's because the latest edition of our favorite graphic novel just hit the shelves today.” Hunk's eyes shot open wide, like a stack of candy had just been dropped in front of him. “Yes, Hunk, you can get your turn. Just gotta get that work done. One of the last copies, too.”

Inside his chest, Keith's heart was already starting to pound. Of course they all had to read his work. And then Hunk decided to ask, “Do you read Voltron, Keith?”

What could he even say to that? No? That was a total lie. Keith had to read it because he wrote it. “Um,” Keith fumbled a bit, “yeah I've heard of it.” Just keep it vague.

Then there was another ungodly shriek from Lance. Pidge let out a sigh. “Lance also happens to be one of the biggest nerd fans for this particular graphic novel. Which is understandable, the story and art are amazing.” Pidge, thankfully, did not notice the flush that crept onto Keith's face at the compliment of his work. “We've all gone to a few conventions. Fans try to spread rumors that the creator will be there and sign some autographs, but alas.”

Hunk arched a brow at Keith as he slid down in his chair. “You okay, man?”

“Me? Yeah.” Keith was not okay. Then there was yet another shriek. If his shriek count was correct, Lance was probably to the part where paladins' plan was not going how they planned it. “But is Lance going to be okay?”

Smirking so very evilly, Pidge said, “Let's go take a look.”

So the three of them moved from the kitchen and went down the hall. This sounded like a bad idea. He had been around unknowing fans before and listened as they talked about his work, but this felt different. Especially the part about going into Lance's room. Or just knowing these three in general. It was like an inside look into the people that funded Keith's life for their love of his story. But nothing really prepared him for what was inside Lance's room.

\------------------------------------------

Lance's room was uniquely him. Perhaps not the best room to take a potential date to, but if they could not accept his interests then they didn't deserve him. At least that was what Hunk told him. Their dorm room last year looked pretty much like Lance's room did now. Voltron posters covered the wall beside his bed. There was even a stuffed blue lion on his bed, because that paladin and lion had always been his favorite.

Then there was the complete stack of the graphic novel that lined the shelf above his desk, which also included two that he had won in a contest that had been personally signed by the author. And his desk contained a figure of the Voltron itself. So he was a nerd, sue him. It was a good story.

And his room was his safe space. At least it was supposed to be. He was there on his bed, the blue lion tucked under his chin as Lance laid, splayed across his bed on his stomach, reading the latest issue of Voltron. There were some undignified noises that came out of his mouth every now and then. This author was a genius. How did they come up with such a good story, and keep it so interesting for this long?

As Lance was so caught up in his reading, the boy jumped up into the air when his door was thrown open. And the shriek that rang out totally wasn't his. Nope. Pidge, Hunk, and Keith stood in the doorway, two of them grinning at his reaction.

Then there was Keith, who looked perplexed as he studied every inch of Lance's room. Like he had any room to judge with that mullet of his. And then Keith had the audacity to give him a look and raise a questioning eyebrow. No words, just a look.

“So, Lance,” Hunk began with a smirk, “it sounds like you're enjoying the story.”

Lance sat up in bed with a humph and put his stuffed animal aside. “Yeah, well, if you don't let me finish, I will give you both spoilers.”

Pidge let out a groan. “You wouldn't. It's the last before the break, don't ruin it for us.” Pidge was eyeing the book on Lance's bed with great interest. And she was right, this was the last issue for at least two months. This time was used by the author, apparently, to contemplate the direction they wanted to take for the next year. And the last issue of the season was always one of the best. “I can only imagine what's going to happen.”

“Probably a huge battle,” Hunk said, bouncing a little. Lance knew his friend was just as anxious as Lance had been about getting this issue. The author never held back in the last two or three issues for each season. And Lance, like his friends, was eager to get back to reading. “They were getting everything ready for the battle last time. But you know something always goes wrong with things like that.”

“Nope, don't want to hear it,” Pidge said as she covered her ears. Lance and Hunk grinned at each other. 

Lance began with, “Maybe one of the lions will take severe damage and they'll have to pull back.”

“Maybe some of them will get captured,” Hunk added.

“Or all of them.”

“Nope!” Pidge shrieked.

Lance got up off the bed and grabbed the graphic novel. “Oh wow, look at this.” He grinned widely as he flipped through the pages. “So much going on. Such battle, much intense.”

Hunk grabbed Pidge by the shoulders with his own grin, while Keith remained so quiet. “Some big twist could be coming, like when we found out a few issues ago that the red paladin was part Galra. Talk about crazy.”

“No!” Pidge cried again. “I mean, that was cool, but I don't need any more twists like that. My heart can't take it!”

Finally, Keith broke his silence by muttering the words, “Maybe one will just go missing.” All three turned to stare at him. The guy was still analyzing Lance's room. His eyes were quizzically on the Voltron figure on Lance's desk. Rude, Lance thought to himself. As if he caught himself having said that out loud, Keith got a little red and said, “Um, you know, just a thought. Ignore me.”

Studying Keith for a moment, Lance's eyes narrowed, he snorted and placed the latest issue down on his bed again. “Don't be stupid, Keith. You probably don't even know what Voltron is.”

A dull look was shot in Lance's direction from Keith. At least he was dressed a little more normal today. A shame about the mullet, though. Maybe if Lance just cut it when he wasn't looking...

Then again, after that mishap with his own hair when he was little, his mother had never trusted him with real scissors for years. It was a little humiliating to explain to his high school friends why he had those dull scissors that kindergartners used. Not that he didn't rock them!

“Cat got your tongue?” Lance decided to press.

Keith just kept that irritated look on his face—pretty standard for the guy—and said, “Like the one on your bed?”

Pidge snorted and fell against the door with laughter. Hunk at least had the decency to hide his laughter. Keith was both irritating and somehow fun to bicker with. The guy seemed to have some thick skin, at least on the outside, and didn't really seem to take offense to the things Lance said. It was a shame, though, that the guy didn't seem to have looked at the bottom of the coffee cup that Lance had given him the other week.

It wasn't much longer before Hunk decreed that they should leave Lance alone, so that he could read and they could get back to work. And time just started to pass by at a fast rate as Lance got enthralled by the glorious work that was Voltron. And then he got to the last page.

Shutting the issue, Lance sat there for a long moment, just blinking. His mind felt dead, as did his soul. What. The. Fuck? Shutting his eyes for a moment, Lance flopped onto his back, dropped an arm over his eyes, and let out the most unearthly howl that he had ever mustered.

How? How was this possible? But more importantly: how did he know? How did Keith possibly guess that? This... how could this be the last book of the season? Why was the brilliant author so evil? What had Lance ever done to deserve this? This was clearly an attack on his person.

“Lance!” Hunk called out. “Trying to study!”

A groan so long that Lance had to catch his breath afterwards followed that comment. He rolled over and buried his face into his pillows. This was both a disaster and a brilliant plot point. The possibilities of what could follow were endless. He opened the book again, just to double check what he had read, and whimpered at the knowledge that it was correct. Why?

Prying himself from his deathbed, Lance left his bedroom. Keith and Hunk had moved into the living room, absentmindedly listening to the low volume of the TV, while Pidge was slouched in the chair next to the couch. She was the first that noticed Lance dragging himself into the room, arching a brow at him.

With a dead look on his face, Lance just raised a shaky finger and said, “You.” Keith blinked up at him, arching a brow in confusion. “How?”

And that was all he said. All he could muster. This didn't seem possible. Out of all the possibilities for a season finale for the graphic novel, the black paladin going missing was nowhere in the spectrum of possibilities that Lance had considered. Yet it had happened.

Pidge and Hunk were now both staring at Keith. “What are you talking about?” asked Keith.

“'What are you talking about?'” Lance mimicked, moving his hand to imitate a mouth talking. “How did you possibly call that ending? Are you a fan?”

“Dude!” Pidge yelled out, shooting up in her chair. “I can't believe you just spoiled the ending for us!”

Lance scoffed as he stole a handful of popcorn from the bowl in Pidge's lap. “Me?” His free hand pointed an accusing finger towards Keith. “He's the one that said it first!”

Hank just waved it off. “Probably just a lucky guess.”

Lance narrowed his eyes with a frown as Keith went back to work with Hunk. A very good lucky guess, if that was the case. Then, slowly, a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat split across Lance's face. Was Keith a closet Voltron fan? Perhaps Lance needed to get to know Hunk's partner a little bit better after all. He needed to know the truth. Things needed to come into the light. Just call him Detective Lance McClain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may go back later and adjust some of the characters in the tag. But I hope you guys liked the update. I hope it was better. If it was still lacking, feel free to let me know. If this still hasn't improved, especially with Lance, I might just go back and work on this chapter and the last. Try to add more to those chapters and work on Lance himself. Next chapter may have more than one POV for each of the boys. Because I know that I want to focus more on Keith's own life in the next chapter. Which means a heavier focus on Shiro and Allura.
> 
> I may also rewatch Voltron before my next update. I think that'll help me a lot with Lance. Also, I know that I see a lot of variations on how authors write Pidge in their fics. I don't really have a preference, so I'll probably be swapping out when I do my next short story. I also have yet to decide if I want to actually name the paladins in Keith's graphic novel... since I can't exactly use their names. I may use their Japanese names from the original version. I will also be coming up with an alias that Keith uses to publish his work.
> 
> But, as I stayed up all night to get this finished and published and the sun is now up, I am going to get some sleep. I have such a long day tomorrow, and a lot of things that need doing before I can enjoy that Switch. I hope the chapter to everyone's liking and that it was better than last chapter. Feel free to shoot me a review, letting me know what you thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay! I just got caught up in the gamer life. And, I guess, anime life. The new Zelda game consumed me. Then I watched the entirety of what is out so far for Digimon Tri. I also started a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Also still editing my book, which is a boring process. I do not like editing. Then I started rewatching Voltron. I hope this chapter is good. I'm trying my best with Lance, but I'm still scared I'm failing with him. At least this chapter is a little longer than normal.

“I didn't poison it!” Lance exclaimed, hand on his hip, as Keith pulled back the lid of his coffee and looked it over. It was the first time Keith had really seen him in nearly a month—not counting brief coffee shop encounters—and he had almost forgotten how loud Lance could be in general. Almost. “No trust, man.”

There was a skeptical look shot in Lance's direction before Keith slipped the lid back on his coffee. Since they had first met, Keith had run into the coffee shop on several occasions now. Surprisingly, Lance had not even asked Keith what he wanted when he came in. And he didn't even ask if Keith wanted creamer.

Leaning on the counter, Lance squinted at Keith's face as he looked the coffee over. Almost like he was waiting for something. “Is everything to your liking, your highness?” he asked and Keith just grunted. “Black, just like you like it, and a double shot of espresso for your clearly shitty sleep schedule.” He blinked dully. “No but really, you look like shit. I mean, aside from normal.” Lance absently motioned at Keith's hair. “Perhaps you should get that styled and cut.”

“Does everything have to be about my hair?” Keith finally said as he took a short sip from his coffee. A long sigh escaped his lips, which brought a grin to Lance's lips. “Fine. Whatever. You make good coffee.”

Right now, it felt like the nectar of the gods. Keith had been up all night. Partly working on his project with Hunk, the other part was working on his graphic novel. He prioritized the project first, since Hunk and him had to turn in some of their work today. And he had not been left with much time after that. Keith could only shudder at how bad his work on Voltron probably had been last night at three in the morning and no sleep.

Lance gave Keith a final look as he left. Why was Lance staring at him? He didn't know anything, did he? Keith snorted at himself for thinking that, nose buried against the plastic lid of his coffee cup. Lance couldn't discover the way out of a paper bag. But a fear did creep over him as he made his way to Allura and Shiro's house. There was one in Lance's household that did make Keith worry a little.

Pidge. Did she know? Matt didn't know, right?

Keith let himself into the house when he arrived. Nobody was home, as they were off playing paintball with Matt. And probably Pidge, now that Keith thought about it. Did Shiro and Allura already know Pidge? Keith grunted as he placed his bag on the couch to work on shortly.

As Keith looked around the room, he sighed and set out his stuff. Maybe he should buy himself his own place. Living out of a dorm, with all the stuff he needed to work on his graphic novel, took up a lot of space. He was already having the publishers ship his fan mail to Shiro, too. His own place would give him a place to really do his work, store his mail, and be away from prying eyes. And it wasn't like he couldn't afford it.

Trying to find room for everything had been horrible, even back in high school. His dad and stepmother did their best to accommodate, but Keith could always tell it was a little overwhelming when they had to go to the post office on a nearly daily basis just to get all their mail. And Keith had wanted to try and be normal and demanded he live in a dorm room.

Yeah, that wasn't awkward dragging around a giant stuffed Voltron lion that a fan had made and sent him. Or a foam model of the Voltron sword. A stack of letters so large that it reached his chin. The list could go on. Needless to say that Keith got some strange looks from the people in his dorm.

It also meant that he was assumed to be a fan by those that did read Voltron in his dorm. Not that Keith didn't like hearing people talk about his work, it just became overwhelming sometimes. So Keith was thankful when Shiro offered his place to store what he needed this year. Even so, Keith was now aware of the fact that the dorm life would not be lasting much longer.

Keith was jarred from his thoughts as the front door opened. In came Allura and Shiro, the latter looking a whole lot more banged up than the former. Allura was also sporting a manic grin. She smiled when she noticed Keith on the couch.

“Keith! Good, you're here,” she said and then motioned to herself. “We will need just a moment to clean up.” Her smile only grew as Shiro grunted while taking off his boots. “Your brother is also sour that he lost. Girls vs. boys. I can assume you know who won.”

Meaning that another girl had been there. Keith glanced between Shiro and Allura. “I don't suppose the other was Matt's sister, was it?”

“Yeah,” Shiro said, “she sometimes tags along. Katie is a good shot.”

“Katie?”

Shiro let his other boot drop as he glanced up at Keith. “Yeah. Matt's sister is Katie.” He wore a lazy smile as Keith just blinked in confusion. “Pidge is a nickname, if that's how you know her by.”

“Right...” Keith went back to work, trying to fix his horrible sketches from last night. “Neither of you have... you know... mentioned what I do to Matt, right?” He didn't even wait for a response. “I just would rather Pidge not find out. Or any of her roommates.”

A grin spread across Shiro's face as he jumped up and clapped Keith on the back. Allura already disappeared into their bedroom to change. “Have no fear, Keith, I haven't told Matt.” Peering over his stepbrother's shoulder, Shiro looked to see what Keith was working on. “I take it you found out Pidge is a fan.” Keith's head shot up. “She does ramble quite a bit about Voltron. She was telling Matt today how she's going to a convention with her roommates.”

“My project partner, Hunk, is her roommate.”

“Small world,” Allura said as she reemerged into the room, hair now up in a bun. “Shiro go get changed... and shower.” Her nose wrinkled. “You reek.”

Just to spite her, Shiro pulled Allura, who let out a shriek, into a hug and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Keith smiled lazily as he went back to work. Shiro ruffled Keith's hair and went to get a shower. Allura smiled at Keith as she sat down next to him and leaned against him to watch him draw.

“You know,” she began, “I'm happy you are making some friends.”

Keith paused for just a second. “Technically I'm just partners with Hunk. I doubt I will see them once it's over.” Keith would deny any disappointment that he might have felt having said that out loud.

Allura handed Keith a clean sheet of paper when he motioned for it. “It doesn't have to be that way. Keith, you've locked yourself away with your work. You wanted a normal life, right? That's what friends are. It's part of being normal.” She pushed some of Keith's hair out of his face and worked on tying it back while she talked. “I know... I know that you didn't have the best luck with friends growing up. Your mother moved you around a lot since she's in the military, then there was the-” She let out a sigh. “The divorce. But this is like a fresh start. You should try making friends. I have not met this Hunk or Lance yet, but I know Pidge seems fond of them. And I think Pidge would make a great friend for you.”

Keith was silent. He pretended that he was still working, even if his pencil had stopped moving. He just... didn't have time for friends. Keith's life was too busy as it was, and his publishers would kill him if Keith found another distraction.

Still leaning against Keith and peering down at Keith's drawings, Allura squinted. Her finger tapped against the new sketch of the Blue Paladin, Isamu, for the new promotion art that the publishers wanted. “I don't recall him being quite so dark skinned,” was all she said.

It was still enough to make Keith tense and look at what he was doing. She was right, Keith had drawn the character darker than normal. “I...” What was he doing? “I'm just trying out a new look. I'll talk to Thace about it, see if he can find out if it'll be okay to do.”

When Keith looked up, he found Allura staring at him with this look. Like she knew him all too well. She probably did, unfortunately. “Didn't you tell Shiro once that you drew and created the character as your dream guy?” Keith only blushed at Allura's words. “Keith,” she said sweetly, leaning closer with a sly grin, “come on. You can tell me. Who is the lucky guy?”

“I-” Keith quickly shut his sketch book and tried to hide his face by stuffing things into his bag. “No one. I was just trying out a new look for him is all.” The design flashed back through his mind and Keith paused. Was it just his imagination, or did that new hairstyle look an awfully lot like a certain annoying barista that he knew? Hopefully just his imagination.

Shaking his head, Keith sat his bag aside. There was no way that Lance was smart enough to even suspect that he looked like the new design for the Blue Paladin. Keith bit down on his lip. Should he change it or scrap the idea? He let out a grunt and slumped in his seat, ignoring the knowing look that Allura was sending him. It was true, Isamu was based around Keith's ideals for a guy he might like to date someday. The fact that the character had Lance's personality did not escape him now, as much as Keith wished it would have.

He barely knew Lance, though. Lance was attractive, sure, but that wasn't enough to fall for someone over. But Lance was also very attractive. Maybe Keith's ignored hormones were finally catching up to him. He had put off everything to get Voltron published and to where it was today. But what did he really know about Lance, aside from his obnoxious personality?

Perhaps getting to know the guy better would prove that he was nothing like the character. “Don't tell Shiro,” Keith mumbled as he focused his attention on the ceiling. “I need to figure this out without either you or him trying to meddle.”

“Me? Never.”

Keith did not believe Allura for a second.

\----------------------------------------

“Mamá!” Lance exclaimed as he collapsed on his bed, exhausted from his shift and the walk home. “I'm not slacking off.” He knew what his mother was about to say. “I mean, not much.”

“I bleed out money for you, and you cannot repay your aging mother by keeping your grades up?” came his mother's over-dramatic voice. And his friends wondered where he got it from. Lance only learned from the best. “Your ticket for that... whatever it is your friends and you are going to should be delivered in a few days. Behave yourself and don't let anyone sell you drugs.”

Lance groaned and rolled onto his stomach, kicking his shoes off. But the knowledge that he would be going to the Voltron convention in a few months was super exciting. He could barely contain the smile that hit his face, and Lance was practically buzzing with excitement. Plus there was the upcoming comic convention in just a few weeks, which would unveil a few first looks at what they could expect for the upcoming issues of Voltron.

“And do not forget that I will be dropping in for a weekend in a month,” Lance's mother reminded him.

“I would never forget about you, mamá,” Lance mumbled against his pillow. With a deep sigh, he slid his long legs off the side of the bed and slipped them into his blue lion slippers. What? He was only mildly obsessed with the graphic novel. “Are you bringing the whole gang or just you?”

“Just me. Your father has business swamping him down, and your brother has a baseball game. I'm trusting your sister to look after him and get him to his game.” She let out a sigh as the oven beeped. There was no telling what his mother was cooking this late at night. “And Elisa is going to be out of town with her husband. I won't get to see my sweet grandson for three whole weeks.”

Humming with a smile, Lance said, “Okay. Well I miss you, so I can't wait to see you.”

Not letting Lance off the hook, his mother said, “Have you met any pretty girls lately?”

“Mom!”

“What, mijo? Can't a mother be curious about her son's life?” Lance could practically see his mother's smirk. “Is that a no then? What about a boy?”

“Goodbye, Mom,” Lance grumbled as he ended the call and slid the phone into his pocket. He slid dramatically onto the couch like worm, inching his way over to where Hunk sat with a bowl of popcorn. “You don't mind my mom coming to visit, right?”

“Nope, your mom is cool.” Hunk pulled his popcorn away when he noticed Lance trying to get some. “Dude! Get your own.” Lance just whimpered and pouted at Hunk. “Do you see this face?” Hunk pointed at himself. “This is the look of unimpressed. You've gotta step up your game.” With that, Hunk grabbed a handful of popcorn and tossed it into his mouth.

Just then, the front door opened and in came Pidge. Her glasses were clean, but most of her face was covered in paint. Lance squinted at his friend as she kicked off her shoes, ignoring where they went, and headed for her room. Pidge didn't know Keith prior to meeting him the first day he was here, right? Strange, since Pidge always hung out with Shiro when Matt went somewhere with his friend.

“Hey, Pidge,” Lance called from his spot on the couch. Pidge's head popped back around the corner. “How is it that you never met Keith before now?”

Giving Lance a curious look, Pidge adjusted her glasses and came to sit on the arm of the couch. She did, however, get a handful of popcorn from Hunk. Before Lance could even object as he scrambled on the couch, mouth agape, Hunk laughed at him and said, “Unlike Pidge, you would eat my whole bowl.”

“I don't know,” Pidge said, not giving Lance a chance to speak. “I asked Shiro today why Keith never joins us. He just said that Keith is always super busy.” Those eyes fixed Lance with a secret look, the TV screen casting a gleam across the lenses. And the grin on her face sent shivers down Lance's spine. Lance kicked his feet and pushed himself away from Pidge, curling up against Hunk, who looked at him like he was crazy. “Why are you so concerned about Keith, Lance?”

“What?” Lance said, voice raised several octaves. His face flushed at hearing it and he knew that it did not go amiss with Pidge either. “I don't talk about Keith.”

Hunk dropped a piece of popcorn on Lance's face with a raised brow. “You only mention him every week. Like mostly this past month with him not being here.” Hunk and Pidge exchanged a look, which only created a pit in Lance's stomach. Was he really that bad? “Not to mention how you hover whenever we are trying to do our work.”

Lance scoffed and stood to his feet. He wouldn't take this laying down in his own home. Sticking up his nose, Lance decided to go to his room. Mostly to try and get his face to stop being so red.

“You know,” Hunk continued, “I could ask him if he wants to do anything with us sometime.”

Why did Lance's legs suddenly not want to work properly. His joints had all locked up and he stiffly walked in the direction of his room. “You know, whatever you want to do. No big deal.”

So he found Keith cute, so what? The guy seriously needed a haircut, but other than that Keith looked good. A little too quiet and withdrawn, got frustrated easy, was easy to workup, didn't even know what Voltron was... Where was Lance going with this again?

Right. Keith was still cute. And he had somehow guessed the end to the latest season of Voltron. Unfortunately, he was also oblivious and didn't want to look on the bottom of his coffee cups. Lance entered his room and shut the door before falling face first onto his bed.

An ill feeling came over him as he heard Hunk laugh at something Pidge said. That couldn't be good, not when Pidge was involved. Especially not after just mentioning Keith and accusing Lance of having a crush. Which maybe he did... but that was not the point.

With a glare in the direction of the door when another laugh came from the living room, Lance opened his laptop. It wasn't too late yet. A glance at the clock told him he still had enough time to go for a swim at the pool on campus if he wanted to. And maybe there would be some cute girls there. Lance smiled to himself as he opened up a Voltron forum to check the latest gossip.

His eyes quickly scanned across subjects as he scrolled. Discussions over the last issue with heavy spoilers. A poll for everyone's favorite character. There were a few that discussed each individual paladin and the developments with them this last season of issues. Lance had spent plenty of his free time in one of those discussing how Isamu had been neglected the past few issues, and a few hours in another to discuss how people were being overcritical of the Red Paladin, Akira, and the revelation that he was half Galra.

There were a few forums about the upcoming cons that Lance would be attending. Which was where Lance's attention caught. The mouse froze over one in particular. After regaining his breathing, Lance opened it up and read it as fast as he could. His breath hitched. It was only just a rumor right now, no accreditation or anything, but if it was true... If it were true, Lance might die a happy person.

The rumor was that there was going to be a contest at the big convention—they didn't know what yet—but the publishers that put out Voltron were apparently talking about trying to get the creator to attend. There were so many questions that Lance had for the guy. If only Lance could meet him!

Okay, okay, calm down Lance, he told himself. These rumors went around sometimes. The people in charge of the cons always put these out there to get hype up and sell more tickets. But if it were true... Lance fell onto his back with an exasperated sigh and a happy grin. This was too much. But there was no way they would know for sure until the convention got closer.

His mind was racing. Lance jumped up and looked around. He needed to get out of the house. This was too much. It didn't matter that Lance freaked out like this every single time this rumor circulated. One day it would happen, and one day Lance would not have gotten his hopes up for nothing.

Practically flinging his shorts and underwear down his long legs, Lance padded across the room to find his tight trunks in his drawer. Hopefully nobody tried to come into his room without knocking. Lance didn't need another scarred Pidge after seeing his ass. Which, really, Pidge should have seen it as a blessing. Because Lance's ass was spectacular.

After sliding on his swimming trunks and letting the fabric pop against his skin as he let go, Lance gathered his things and headed for the door. He didn't even wait for Pidge or Hunk to say anything to him. His head was just up in the air. It was probably wishful thinking, he knew that, but still. There was always the possibility.

As he neared the gym, Lance caught a familiar sight. His eyes squinted in the dark. He'd know that mullet anywhere. Keith jogged casually across the campus, keeping to the sidewalk, earbuds in his ears and his phone in his hand. A smirk touched briefly at Lance's lips before he took off towards Keith.

Catching up to Keith was easy, the guy wasn't even trying. Then Lance passed him and began jogging backwards, letting his long legs come up to his chest with each step. Keith blinked at him in surprise and nearly fumbled his phone. Even in the low lighting, there was no mistaking the color that rose to Keith's cheeks as he took in Lance in front of him. Those eyes snapped to Lance's face and basically strained to keep focus at face-level.

Lance only smirked more. He was proud of his body. “Nothing to be ashamed of in looking, mullet,” Lance teased.

A dull look came over Keith's eyes as he mumbled, “Only in your dreams. You just surprised me is all.” His eyes flickered down with a raised eyebrow. “Shouldn't you have put on shorts or something with those? They're a little...” the blush was still there, “tight.”

“Oh yeah?” Grinning madly, Lance faced forward again and lifted the back of his shirt to show off the curve of his ass in his tight swimming trunks. “I think they fit pretty nice.”

“They fit pretty wel- goo- bad.” There was definitely no mistaking the blush on Keith's face now, but Lance couldn't blame him. Anyone would react as such if they looked at Lance's ass. “You should definitely go change.”

Lance slowed down to jog beside Keith, letting his shirt fall back into place. “Why? Do you want to watch me change?”

“In your dreams.”

“Maybe.”

Keith gave him a doubtful and annoyed look, but didn't respond. He changed the song on his phone and turned it up loud enough that even Lance could hear the dull noise that radiated from behind the earbuds. Keith was too easy to mess with.

“I take it you never changed in the locker room,” Lance said a little louder than normal.

With a heavy sigh, Keith muted his music and took out one of the buds in his ear. “What?”

“I asked if you ever changed in the locker room back in high school? You get flustered a little easy from just looking at the somewhat naked body.”

A grunt escaped Keith and he seemed to debate putting his music back on, but ended up pocketing his phone. His hair was slightly matted to his face by this point, no telling how long he had been out jogging. “I kept to myself in high school.” No surprise there. “And most people don't go running around with trunks that look like they are painted on their body.”

Lance smirked. “Someone sounds like they were staring awfully hard.” Leaning in, he whispered, “Want another look later?” And another flush spread across Keith's face. “Or maybe it's more that you swing towards the male persuasion?”

“Shut up,” Keith grumbled and pulled his phone back out.

“Whoa!” Lance said quickly. “It's cool. I'm bi. No judgment. I was just teasing. It's kind of my thing.” He smiled coolly as Keith looked at him silently. “So what are you doing jogging out here?”

“Jogging.”

Shoulders slumping, Lance's eyes narrowed. “Wow. I would have never guessed.” This got a smirk from Keith at least. “Do you want to come swimming instead? I just needed to clear my head. Found out I'm going to two—count 'em two—conventions. Plus my mom is coming to visit soon. And, you know, I could only hope that the lord and creator of all that I hold holy might bless us with his presence at at least one of those conventions.”

There was a long pause before Keith said anything. “You're a little obsessed with that Voltron thing, you know.”

“'Thing?'” Lance scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. “It's a little more than just a thing. It's a way of life. A calling. A divine blessing from above.”

“I rest my case.”

“You know, Keith, you could actually learn a little something if you came to one.”

Keith's eyes snapped open a little. “I-I- No. I'm good.”

“Nonsense,” Lance pressed. “There are still tickets. Pidge and Hunk are coming with me. You could come.” Leaning in, Lance put an arm around the other guy. “I can show you the world.”

“No,” Keith replied dully, cutting Lance off before he could break into his best rendition of that song to date. Pidge didn't like his singing either. At least Hunk would always support him. Keith finally sighed. “If I agree to go, will you never sing in front of me again?”

“Deal.” Lance held out a hand and they both shook on it. As Lance slowly relinquished Keith's hand, he felt his mouth go dry as he felt how warm it was. And soft. Also smudged with black stuff. Lance snapped his eyes up before Keith could catch him staring at his hands. “I'll send you those details. Now,” he grinned and motioned towards the pool, “want to swim?”

It must have been a miracle, but Keith agreed to go swimming. They had to stop by Keith's dorm first, though. So that meant a ten minute walk across campus, so that Keith could get something to swim in. Lance totally did not take the opportunity to snoop. And by that, he meant that he totally did.

Not that there was much to snoop with. While Keith changed in his bathroom, Lance peered around the room. It was pretty ordinary. There were some diagrams of the planets and some other space memorabilia, but nothing really stood out. Nothing to tease the guy about. He had some boxes stashed under the bed, but Lance was too lazy to actually pull them out. They seemed heavy when he tried. As Lance was fingering a thick notebook on Keith's desk, the bathroom door opened.

“Don't mess with that,” Keith snapped with a glare.

Lance held up his hands defensively. “My bad, my bad. I promise not to look at your little doodle book, or look at the hundreds of scribbles you probably wrote of your name and some guy in high school, circled in a heart.” He grinned at Keith and flicked the notebook. “I'm above that.”

“Clearly,” Keith mumbled. Unlike Lance, Keith wore regular baggy swimming trunks. How boring. Just like Keith's hair. Even if it did look soft. “Can we get going?”

They arrived at the pool and found it mostly empty, save for a few students here and there. Lance wasted no time of stripping himself of his shirt and diving into the pool. When he emerged to the surface, Lance found Keith still kicking off his shoes, shirt still on and everything. Damn he was slow.

Keith finally got into the pool and Lance wasted no time in challenging the guy to a race, which he won by a landslide. “No shame in losing, Keith,” Lance said triumphantly, flashing a smile. Then he noticed some girls watching them from the edge of the pool. “Well hello there.”

Keith rolled his eyes and swam away a bit, while Lance stretched his arms behind his head for the view of the ladies. They deserved the view of Lance's body for troubling themselves with coming out tonight. Lance dove under the water and held his breath for a long time. Good for them to know how long Lance could actually go down. Unfortunately, he could not tell that glorious line to Keith, as he was still underwater.

But the girls giggled to each other as Lance came up and smirked at them. “Feel free to come swim, ladies, the water is great tonight.” Lance ran a hand across his chest to make sure they paid attention to his torso. “And I will gladly give you mouth-to-mouth if you find yourselves drowning.”

One of the girls laughed as she rolled her eyes. They totally wanted him. Not that Lance could blame them, really. His parents had only blessed the world with the most beautiful thing on the planet. Winking at the girls for good measure, Lance turned to find Keith for another race around the pool, only to find the guy nowhere in sight.

Lance swiveled several times, trying to see if Keith had gone underwater. “Your boyfriend left,” one of the girls from the edge of the pool called.

Lance's brows furrowed. “He's not my boyfriend,” he grumbled. But he caught sight of his target as Keith was about out the door. “Keith!”

That didn't stop him. Keith just stormed out the door and didn't say a word. Lance sank into the pool a few inches. What was that about? Lance thought they had been having a good time.

\---------------------------

To say that Keith was in a bad mood was an understatement. Two nights ago still suck with him. Probably wasn't the best to snap at his professors, but oh well. And now he was having to go to see Kolivan about his recent work. Joy. Stupid Lance for putting him in a bad mood. Stupid flirting idiot. Keith was an idiot himself for getting his hopes up when Lance had told him that he was bisexual. And then Lance had gone off and shown Keith that he wasn't interested in Keith in the least.

And here he was, about to ask Kolivan for tickets to that stupid convention, just to spend some time with Lance. Because Keith was apparently so lonely that he wanted to torture himself. Lance was stupidly attractive, but also just stupid. But that didn't stop Keith from thinking about those trunks on Lance all night, or how they clung to Lance in all the right places and left absolutely nothing to the imagination of what Lance's ass looked like. He was slightly disappointed with himself for not staying to see what Lance looked like in them while wet.

Keith opened the door to Kolivan's office, ignoring the secretary as she tried to pick up the phone to announce Keith was there. She shot him a dirty look for not waiting. As if Keith's mood wasn't already shit, the sight inside only made it worse. In one of the chairs in front of Kolivan's desk was a woman dressed in military uniform. Keith lifted his bag onto his shoulder and moved to take his place in the empty chair.

“What is she doing here?” he mumbled as he took out his work. Thace already had most of it, but Keith had tossed a lot of his frustration into his work the past two days and had a stack of new drawings.

As Thace took the new stuff, he gave Keith a look of apology. Kolivan was still looking through Keith's other work. “That's no way to talk about your mother, Keith,” the man muttered without looking up. Not that Keith's mother seemed to mind, she didn't even look at him. “I asked her to come by.”

“I just want to know what the test audience said about my new design for the blue paladin,” Keith pressed.

Kolivan grunted and pushed the stack of drawings aside. “Fine. It's a hard call. Some love it, giving the team some more diversity, but others are upset that you randomly changed the character. Typically, when creators want to redo their characters, they bring in new ones or just do a reboot of their comics. But you just randomly throw this at us.” He held out the drawing of Isamu. “I'm willing to let it slide and go on to print, if you are set with this being the new design for your blue paladin.”

Keith briefly glanced towards his mother. She was being too quiet. “I am.”

“As I'm giving you this,” Kolivan continued. There it was. Keith knew there was always something that man wanted whenever he agreed to something. “Your mother and I were talking. People are interested in knowing who created their beloved Voltron.”

Finally, his mother spoke. “You are an attractive young man, Keith.” Her voice, like always, was void of emotion. Just business. That was always how she handled Keith. He never blamed his father for divorcing her. “We both feel that it would up your profits if you were to attend a convention and reveal your face to the world.”

“Surprise, surprise,” Keith droned. “It's about money.” His jaw locked as he shifted in his seat to turn on his mother with anger. “What, you want to milk your money cow before I turn twenty-one and you lose your small percentage to my profits? Glad to know I'm appreciated for the money I line your wallet with, Mom.”

She let out a heavy sigh, her eyes locked onto her son. If Keith had been younger, he might have gotten the back of her hand for speaking out of line. “I am trying to think of you. This would be a good opportunity for you.”

Keith highly doubted that. His mother never did anything that solely benefited Keith. She would have fought for custody of Keith when she divorced his father, if she had known how much Keith would have been making as he got older. But, of course, she found a way to still benefit off him by getting him his contract with Kolivan.

Slumping in his chair, Keith crossed his arms and looked away from his mother. “Can she leave?”

His mother let out a huff, but did not fight Keith on his request. After the door was shut behind her, Kolivan leaned back in his chair. “Keith,” he said and waited until Keith actually looked at him, “I know I am hard on you, but I wouldn't have agreed with your mother if I didn't think it would be good for you. But I won't make you do this.” A glance at Thace told Keith that the man agreed as well. “So, what do you think?”

“I think...” What did Keith think? He thought his birthday couldn't get there fast enough. Maybe then he would never have to deal with his mother again. “I'll go to both of the upcoming conventions.” Keith quickly held up a hand before the two men could get excited. “Only as a normal person. Some...” What was Lance to him? “Some friends invited me to go, to show me the 'great world that is Voltron.'”

Thace arched a brow at him. “There's a joke in there somewhere.” He handed Keith his old work back from Kolivan. They'd keep his new stuff to look over. “I take it they don't know that you created it?” Keith shook his head. Thace gave Kolivan a look and rubbed his jaw. “I'll arrange you a ticket to both. Do you want any special access?”

“Uh...” Keith blinked a few times. Did Lance, Pidge, and Hunk have any special access? “I don't know.”

“Just don't compete in the contest for the second one,” Kolivan grunted. The man grunted and then laughed, swiveling in his chair, amusement plastered across his face. “The fans finally get the creator of Voltron at their conventions, and none of them will be the wiser to it.”

As Keith gathered his things and stood up, he gave both of them a stern look. “Anyone there that knows me better not act like they do.”

“You have our word,” replied Thace.

Keith shut the door and glanced at the secretary, mouthing an apology when she shot him a dirty look. Eh, she was probably used to his mood swings by now. Keith sighed and pulled out his phone. As much as he didn't want to talk to Lance right now, Keith needed to let him know that he got a ticket.

He was an idiot. But that wasn't really surprising, was it? Keith's life never really worked out like he planned it. Keith paled as he froze in the middle of putting his bag in the car. He was going to the convention. The same convention that they would be revealing the new look of the blue paladin. The same one that Keith had accidentally drawn to look similar to Lance. The same guy that would be next to Keith at the convention that he was now going to.

Blinking once... twice... three times, Keith waited a second before he said, “Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was that? Things are moving along. I finally got to a place where Lance and Keith will actually interact while alone. I'm sure it'll be interesting for Keith to listen to Lance at these conventions. Which the first will be next chapter, and I'll be introducing a character that won't even be on the show until next season lol. Maybe Lance will stop being so oblivious for why Keith got upset. We will find out next time! Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the chapter. I'm always excited to read those.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a little longer than I thought to get this out. I finished it days ago, but real life kept me so busy that I barely had time to edit the last three days. I do want to say going into this chapter that it is written before season 3 came out, so if you read this after it does, then please remember that I have no knowledge about what happened in season 3 at the time of writing this. And that anything written in here about things happening after where season 2 left off is just speculation or theory. I really just needed things to write, since Keith has to keep writing, and here I am without knowing what is going to happen on the show. If that makes sense and isn't just rambling. Also, this chapter is at least double the length of what I've been writing for this. Actually longer than the first and second chapters combined, and just barely shy of being as long as all three combined. So enjoy the long chapter.

“And you didn't think this was a bad idea until you got the tickets?”

Why did Shiro feel it was necessary to lecture Keith on things he already knew? The two stepbrothers had just left Keith's publishers, who needed some last minute sketches before the convention tomorrow. Keith had been fine for the company, as Shiro had offered to drive, until this subject had come up.

“You know,” Keith began as they stood in the lobby, “I didn't mean to. I wasn't thinking. Lance asked me and then I was suddenly making promises.”

Shiro just gave him this knowing look. “You mean the same Lance that you're now modeling Isamu after?” Dammit, Allura. She couldn't be trusted. “As far as I can remember, you've only modeled two... perhaps three... characters after people you know.”

Letting out a sigh, Keith said, “For the last time, Haggar is not inspired after-”

“Your mother.” Shrio smirked when Keith glared at him. “So you say.” As some girls that were carrying things for the convention passed them by with some giggles, Shiro smiled and waved at them. “You also refuse to admit that you modeled Akira after yourself.”

“I didn't!” Keith let out a groan as all the people around them stopped to stare at the two of them. Kolivan shot him a glare from where he was talking to his secretary before he went home for the day. “And I didn't model the new look of Isamu after Lance... not exactly.”

“Do you like him? You just met him.”

Keith already knew that. It had been a few weeks since the incident at the swimming pool, and Keith still felt like a fool over it. Why had he overreacted like that? He barely knew Lance at all, and here Keith was trying to crush on him. It just proved how lonely Keith really was. He had never been in a relationship, too caught up in his graphic novel to ever consider it.

“I think-” Keith began, but Kolivan cut him off as the man passed them by.

“Are you sure you don't want to do the panel at this convention?” Kolivan asked.

There had never been a more certain issue to ever be placed before Keith. “I'm sure. I just want to attend it with my friends. You made sure nobody working the convention that knows me will actually address me as the author, right?”

Letting out a sigh, Kolivan quickly checked his phone. “Yes, yes. Don't worry. It's all been taken care of.” He pointed at Keith with a dull look. “I'm going to cash in on all these favors you owe me one day, Keith.”

As a smirk crossed Keith's lips, he nodded and gave the man a wave as he left the building. The two stepbrothers stood there a moment longer before stepping out into the parking lot. Shiro was still watching him, waiting for an answer. If it were up to Keith, his brother could keep waiting.

But he let out a sigh and said, “I think I'm just lonely. Happy?” He frowned and kicked at a broken piece of concrete that was on the sidewalk. Shiro pulled out his car keys. “I've just been so isolated, and then Lance comes out of nowhere and... I don't even know. I can't tell if he's flirting or being weird. But he's been showing me attention and I don't know how to respond to it.”

Like the bastard he was, Shiro made Keith wait for a response. He waited until they got back in the car and Shiro cranked it. Instead of backing up, Shiro just placed his arm behind Keith's headrest, like he was going to look behind him to back up, and stared directly at Keith.

“I'm glad you're making a friend,” was all he said at first. Shiro waited again until Keith squirmed before he pressed on. “If you want to pursue this-”

“No!”

Shiro just let out a sigh and shook his head. “If you want to pursue this, Pidge does speak fondly of Lance. Although, the time or two that I got to meet him, he kind of seemed loud. He also flirted with like three girls during orientation, so there's that.” Those eyes narrowed and Shiro pointed a finger at Keith. “He better not cheat on you.”

“Shiro!” Keith wailed. His face was now red. “I just said that I'm just lonely! That's all! I have no interest in pursuing Lance in a relationship. Like you said, we just met. And, yes, he's a giant flirt with just about anyone he sees. He's just attractive is all.” Crossing his arms, Keith slouched in his seat and pressed his knees to the dash. “Have no fear, your brother will remain forever alone. I don't have time for dating anyways.”

“As you say,” Shiro said as he finally pulled out of his parking spot. He glanced at Keith a single time before they pulled back out onto the road and into traffic. “You know, I am still salty that you killed off my character.”

Keith slapped a hand to his face. “For the last time, I didn't kill him. I even showed you the next two issues. Ryou is alive... for now.”

There was a dull look tossed in Keith's direction. “That's so cruel. As you know, your fans want me back.”

“Stop speaking about the character like you are actually him,” Keith mumbled as he leaned his head against the window. “Yes, I modeled him after you. You came into my life in a very hard time. In my original ideas, he was not meant to be the leader, though. But you helped me through a lot of stuff...” Keith glanced at Shiro, who smiled at him, “and I felt inspired to use that.” Then Keith gave Shiro a dull look of his own. “But Ryou has his own things to do right now. Besides, it was always my plan to make Akira the leader of Voltron. I just decided to adjust after I changed the character of Ryou.”

A moment of silence, and then, “Okay, but are you going to kill me?”

Keith let out a groan and tried to tune out his brother by turning up the music. His head fell back against the glass and Keith ignored the smirk on Shiro's lips. Honestly, Keith wasn't completely sure what he was doing with his characters right now. A year or two ago, Keith probably would have killed Ryou off. But the fans really did take to the character, so Keith was trying to decide.

He had time. No pressure. Not much, anyways. Reaching down, Keith pulled one of his old notebooks out of his backpack and pulled back the cover to the first page. On it was a diagram of all of the paladin names as Keith had originally planned them. Then below that was a similar diagram, just with a lot more arrows pointing at where he wanted all of them to eventually go. Maybe Keith had over complicated his plot.

Akira was always meant to be the leader. Isamu was actually going to be the red paladin, but after the change with Ryou and Akira, the latter needed a lion that fit him. So Isamu had moved to blue. The only two that never changed were Tsuyoshi and Hiroshi, the yellow and green pilots. Well, Hiroshi hadn't completely changed. The night before Keith had to turn in everything for the first issue of Voltron, he had called Kolivan in the middle of the night and had begged for an extension, because he had decided that the pilots needed more gender diversity and had made Hiroshi a female. Then there was Princess Farla, who Shiro and Allura both pestered Keith about it probably being modeled after Allura. It was, not that Keith would ever admit.

Shiro and Allura had met right before Keith's world had turned upside down with his graphic novel, and the girl had inspired every ounce of Farla. Their fight over Keith living with them might have inspired the bickering between Akira and Farla over the discovery of Akira being half Galra.

Breaking the silence, Shiro asked, “How much sleep did you get last night?”

“I don't know,” Keith mumbled, eyes halfway shut. “Maybe a few hours. I had to get all that work done for Kolivan before tonight. Plus I had to get all my homework done, so that I could go to this convention.” Rubbing a hand across his face, Keith shut his eyes. He would sleep good tonight. The best part was that he shouldn't have to worry about anything other than having fun all weekend. Fun. What even was that?

\-------------------------------------

There was clearly a sadistic side to Lance. One that enjoyed being home alone, lights off, wrapped up in his favorite blanket, as he played through Outlast. His phone had buzzed a few times beside him, but Lance was too enthralled with the task of surviving to actually check his texts. It was good that nobody was home to see him hiding for an unnecessarily long time from whatever might be out in that hallway. And by nobody, Lance meant Pidge. He would never hear the end of the mocking.

Right as Lance was about to open the door at the end of the hallway, there was a knock at his bedroom door and Lance jumped several inches off his bed, shrieking like some banshee in the night. Thunder boomed outside as the door opened. Lance stared at the door with wide eyes as someone entered.

Eyes immediately fell dull as Lance took in the form of Keith, who was slightly wet from the rain outside. “Who let you in, mullet?”

“Do you always have to address me by that?” replied Keith, ignoring Lance's question. His eyes roamed from Lance, to the TV, and then back again. “Hunk said you'd be home, said I could just come inside. He thought you fell asleep, since you weren't answering his texts.”

Oh. Lance quickly scooped up his phone and found several texts from Hunk, letting Lance know that Keith would be dropping by. Well then. With a huff, Lance flung his blanket around his shoulders and moved a few inches to give more space on his bed.

“Well don't just stand there like some creep while I play,” he said, nodding to the space beside him as he went back to the game.

Keith took a step towards the bed and stopped. His eyes narrowed and he frowned. Lance paused the game again to look up at Keith. Keith just pointed at Lance and said, “Why are you wearing booty shorts?”

Rude, Lance thought to himself. His legs looked amazing and they deserved to be shown off, even if it was just for himself until Keith showed up. Jutting one leg up into the air, Lance leaned back against the wall and motioned to his leg. “There's your answer.”

As Keith sat down on the bed, he mumbled, “Aren't you afraid your junk is going to fall out?” He crossed his legs and Lance found the guy staring down at Lance's lap. The shorts always did their job. “Or maybe you don't have to worry about that.”

Wow! Rude! But at least Keith could make a joke. Smirking, Lance pulled at the leg of his booty shorts, showing his tight black briefs underneath. “Not to worry, everything is kept safely in place. No children will be scarred.” Shooting Keith some finger guns, Lance let his leg fall back onto the bed. “Besides, the legs of the shorts could be a few more inches long and I'd still have that problem if not for the underwear.”

“You have no shame.”

Lance grinned and went back to playing. “None whatsoever.”

Now that Keith was here, Lance had to actually refrain from shrieking. Instead, he bit down on his lip and contorted his face every time that something scared him. Keith smirked at him every time this happened. Clearly Lance was not subtle about being scared. There were a few times that Lance couldn't stop himself from jumping. When that happened, Lance brushed against Keith's shoulder.

Keith chuckled and Lance wanted to be mad, he really did, but Keith's laugh was so freaking cute. The guy rarely smiled or laughed. Lance had to actually pause the game to listen to it once or twice.

Lance glanced at Keith out of the corner of his eye as Keith laughed when Lance died. He was so unguarded when he laughed. Squinting in the dark towards Keith, Lance said, “Why is it that you never smile or laugh?”

“I just did.”

“Yeah,” Lance scoffed, “like once a month.”

There was a dull look shot back at Lance. “Why does it matter when I do so? Would you like me to schedule more throughout the month? How about biweekly?”

“It's a start!”

Slouching so far down that his knees jutted straight up and he had to spread his legs to even see the TV, Lance focused back on his game. If Keith stared any harder at Lance's bare legs, he might actually bore a hole. Lance was used to it. People stared at him a lot after puberty, and Lance himself knew that he had been blessed with good looks. The world should be thankful that his parents decided to conceive him. Unfortunately, those good looks did not help Lance get a relationship. As Pidge and Hunk liked to point out, Lance had horrible dating skills.

Unconsciously, Lance's lips tilted down. It wasn't entirely his fault. His flirting might have been the problem. His loud personality might add to that, but it was part of who he was. And guys and girls that Lance tried to date just assumed that Lance would always flirt with anyone, even in a relationship, and always accused Lance of being unfaithful. His girlfriend senior year of high school and his freshman college boyfriend had both accused him of cheating. He also got asked to be part of threesomes. Sometimes it wasn't so fun being bisexual.

“Lance?”

With a start, Lance paused his game again. He was never going to get any progress on this game with mullet around. He blinked over at Keith with a frown. “What?”

“You were so deep in thought that I thought your brain might short circuit,” Keith mumbled.

Lance's grin returned as he leaned on his palm towards Keith. “So glad that you care, mullet.”

“It's Keith.”

“As I was saying, mullet-” Lance ignored him. He cut himself off, though, when the front door opened and closed. “Looks like Hunk and Pidge are back.” His grin split full across his face as he shut off his game and jumped off the bed. Lance turned around to find Keith getting a quick glance at his ass. The booty shorts never fail him. “Time for movie night and junk food! Stay up late, and then convention tomorrow!”

As Lance opened the door, he motioned for Keith to leave his room. Mullet got up and walked towards the living room, Lance following after him. Hunk had suggested that they let Keith crash at their place tonight, since they would have to get up so early to drive. By the front door was Keith's duffel bag for the weekend.

Hunk and Pidge were both in the kitchen. They had brought home three boxes of pizzas, two bags of chips, some Oreos, and a case of ice cream. Pidge caught sight of the look of mild disgust or horror on Keith's face and laughed.

After they got plates loaded up, they all moved into the living room and crashed on the couch. Hunk put on the first movie, which Keith had never seen before. They quickly listed off the rest of the movies for the night. Keith had not seen any of them.

“Where have you even been all your life?” Pidge exclaimed before stuffing a giant slice of pizza into her mouth. “Like at least half are classics.”

While he stuffed his face with some Oreos and chips, Lance watched as Keith got a tinge of red to his ears. “I've just been busy,” Keith mumbled. His brow furrowed as he looked over the box of the movie they were watching. “I'm sure it is very good, though.”

Halfway through _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_ , Keith had his brow still furrowed. He hadn't eaten much of his food. It had been forgotten in favor of the movie. “I'm confused. He just created a person?”

More of the movie went by and Keith seemed to get more into it. Mainly at the end, where the alien thing came up. Receiving an elbow on his other side, Lance blinked over at Hunk, who had an eyebrow raised. Nothing was said, but Hunk nodded towards Keith and gave Lance a questioning look. Lance cleared his throat and turned back to the movie, putting pizza into his mouth. He might have been watching Keith's reaction to the movie more than the movie itself.

The movie ended and Hunk got up to change it to the next one. While Keith rambled to Pidge about how much he enjoyed the movie, Lance got up and retrieved his blanket from his room. He returned and Hunk pouted at him. “You didn't get me one?”

“You didn't ask!” Lance exclaimed as he sat down. The next movie was going to be _Fight Club_. Lance placed the blanket across his lap and it fell on Keith's feet, which had been drawn up onto the couch. “Okay, but if you don't like this one, we can never be friends, Keith.”

“Oh no, whatever will I do?” Keith droned. Pidge snorted and the two shared a smirk at each other. Those two did not need to be friends. At least Lance still had Hunk.

It quickly became late. After _Fight Club_ , they opted to watch _Clueless_ , which Lance had solely suggested. Pidge always complained about it. Hunk never said anything, and Lance secretly knew that it was because he enjoyed the movie, too. As the movie played, Lance did find himself getting tired. It was a little past one in the morning. Hunk declared going in that it would be the final movie for the night, as they had to get enough sleep for tomorrow.

Drawing his knees up and curling into a ball, Lance leaned slightly on his side. Pidge had made two bowls of popcorn, and Keith and Lance had a bowl settled between them under Lance's blanket. Keith had sneakily taken some of the blanket during the last movie, but Lance had been too caught up in the movie to actually do anything about it.

“Why am I not surprised that you love this kind of movie?” Keith whispered, leaning towards Lance as he got a handful of popcorn. Lance shot him a dull look and Keith grinned wickedly back.

Lance was so caught up with his glare that he did not pay attention as he reached down to get his own handful of popcorn. Both of their eyes went wide and color filled their cheeks. Lance cleared his throat and got some popcorn on the side that Keith wasn't currently getting some from. When Lance glanced over at Keith again, the guy was already consumed with the movie again.

It seemed like Keith was not meant to know the end of _Clueless_ this night. He had fallen asleep about ten or fifteen minutes before it ended, his head rested on the arm of the couch. Lance had realized after it happened because Keith's legs loosened and his feet got pressed against Lance's leg.

The lights got turned back on after the movie and the other two went about cleaning up. Lance got Keith an extra pillow and some blankets, since he hoarded blankets and had enough pillows to give to a small family. When he returned, Lance found himself staring down at Keith for a moment. The dark circles under his eyes were more prominent now that the lights were on and Lance was actually paying attention. How much sleep had Keith been getting?

“Hunk?” Lance called out to his friend. Hunk poked his head in from the kitchen. “Have you two been working on your project more than usual?”

Brow furrowed, Hunk glanced Keith over. “No. Keith's actually been too busy to meet up this week to work on it. He said he had a lot of other work to get done before he could come to the convention.”

As Hunk returned to cleaning up, Lance crouched down beside the couch. He touched Keith's shoulder and shook him awake. If he hadn't been so tired, Lance might have just thrown the pillow and blankets on top of Keith to wake him up. But Keith also looked exhausted.

Keith stirred and opened his eyes. A pillow was quickly thrown at him. “What the fuck, Lance?”

Okay, maybe Lance wasn't tired enough. He smirked and handed Keith the blankets when the guy sat up, clearly frustrated. “There you go.” He stood up and stretched, raising up onto the balls of his feet. “You should thank me. You'd probably have a kink in your neck if you just slept like that on the couch.”

“I've fallen asleep in more awkward positions,” Keith mumbled, but took the blankets and pillow anyways. He got up and retrieved his bag, pulling out some cotton shorts and an old shirt.

When Keith disappeared into the bathroom to get ready for bed, Pidge came back into the living room and said, “You have such amazing skills at waking someone up. Is that how you're going to wake him up all weekend?”

Lance blinked once, twice, and then shot around to stare at Pidge with wide eyes. “What?” That came out a little louder than necessary.

Pidge just shrugged and moved across the room. “You hog the bathroom, so Hunk and I decided to room together for the weekend. Try and leave Keith some warm water.” She smirked as she stopped in the doorway, cat-like stare shot back over her shoulder. “Unless you want him to join you in the shower.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Instead of answering, Pidge left, cackling on the way to her room. Lance just frowned as he stared after his friend. Hunk shut off the kitchen light and bid Lance goodnight. Pidge didn't know what she was talking about. Lance crossed his arms as he moved to his room. Right as he got to the door, Keith came out of the bathroom.

Blue eyes drifted along Keith's form. The shirt was a size or two too big, worn and faded. One of the sleeves even threatened to fall from his shoulder. It was also big enough that it covered most of Keith's shorts.

Recovering from staring, Lance just said, “Looks like we are going to be roomies this weekend.” He took Keith by the shoulder and motioned into the distance. “But fear not, this just means you get the full convention experience. I will be there to answer any questions you might have during all of this.”

Keith fixed him with the dullest of looks that could be mustered at this hour. “I'll be sure to remember that,” he droned before removing Lance's arm from his shoulders and went back into the living room. Lance just smirked as the light was turned off.

Maybe there was hope for Keith yet to become a fan of Voltron.

\-------------------------------------

Morning had come way too soon for Lance's liking. In fact, the only person that seemed to be really awake was Hunk. After they got their stuff loaded in the car, Pidge got shotgun, acting as the navigator. Which was fine, because Lance wanted to get more sleep on the drive. They got some quick breakfast and coffee before they got on the highway.

And Keith? Lance couldn't look at Keith right now. After coming out of the shower and drying his hair, Keith had emerged in a black shirt under a red plaid button up that was open. It looked good on him, but that was not the problem. Lance just no longer wanted Keith to get that haircut. Today Keith had tied his hair into a ponytail and it actually looked really good. It showed off his neck and jawline. And his hair wasn't hanging in his face today.

If Keith actually needed glasses, Lance might have combusted from how cute he actually looked.

Lance had brought along the first five copies of Voltron for Keith to get familiar with. Both of them had taken a short nap after eating, though, but Lance woke up to find Keith casually flipping through the pages of the first issue. Every page or two, Lance could see Keith's mouth scrunch up while he analyzed everything. Did he not like it?

Apparently Pidge had been paying attention to Keith reading as well. She turned around and said with much excitement, “I can't wait until you catch up! Maybe you can get to the latest issue before they start the next cycle. I need to know your thoughts!” Pidge was practically bouncing in the front seat, bringing a smile to Keith's lips. “We'll get you a shirt or something this weekend. You like it so far, right?”

“Uh, yeah...” Keith looked briefly down at the book in his lap before back at Pidge. “I think some things might could have been handled better, but overall I'm happy with it.” Part of Lance died inside just listening to someone say that Voltron could have been better. It was impossible. Keith was just delusional. But Lance could forgive him, maybe, after the guy got caught up.

It took them three hours to get to the city that the convention was being held out. Traffic sucked, even with it still early in the morning. But this wasn't just a convention for Voltron, so they knew it was going to be crowded going into this.

They just weren't expecting an issue with the hotel rooms.

“What do you mean all your rooms with double beds are taken?” Lance basically screamed within inches of the woman behind the desk. Her eyes just widened as she continued to type away at her computer. “Do you have any rooms at all?”

“I do apologize,” she said as politely as possible. “Due to all the people in for this convention, we are offering complimentary upgrades on all those that had reservations.” Leaning forward, she peered at her screen. “We do have two rooms still available for you, Ms. Holt.”

Pidge shoved Lance aside and tapped her debit card on the counter. “That's all that matters.” She narrowed her eyes at Lance before he could open his mouth again. “All that matters is the convention. Don't ruin this for me.”

Lance just grumbled and crossed his arms with a pout. The lady seeing to their rooms smiled and pulled out two small packets. “These are your cards. You won't be charged extra, don't worry about that.” Pidge took the cards from the woman. “The rooms are, technically, an upgrade, but these do only have the single beds. It also, in my opinion, comes with a nicer view of the city, and much nicer showers.”

After paying, Pidge handed both Keith and Lance their cards. Keith and Lance just frowned at each other for a moment. “Think of it this way,” Pidge interjected before either could say a word, “it's a much nicer room than what we were previously able to afford.” Then she leaned towards Keith with a grin. “I would watch out, though, Lance has a habit of being a cuddler.”

Lance would have complained more, but then they got up to their rooms. While Pidge and Hunk went to theirs, Keith and Lance dropped their things off in their room. Lance wasted no time in jumping onto the bed, while Keith just kind of hovered. Lance let out a content sigh. He needed some sheets like this, they felt amazing.

Even if he did have to share a bed with Keith, this was going to be a good weekend. A better hotel room than they had expected, plus Lance finally got to go to a convention. Although, truthfully, Lance was much more excited about the next one, which was dedicated solely to Voltron.

\---------------------------------

Reading back through his first issues of Voltron had been a little nostalgic for Keith. It had also shown him how young and inexperienced he was back then. There were so many things that could have been done differently if Keith had known what he did now about writing a story. It had sold great, though, so maybe it was best if he didn't change anything.

Yesterday, after getting settled in and finding some lunch, the group had decided to check out the convention. Nothing from Voltron had been set up yet—like Keith knew it wouldn't be—but they had stuck around until dinner, so that Lance, Pidge, and Hunk could look into some of their other favorite graphic novels and comics.

“Do people dress up a lot for these?” Keith decided to ask as he studied the hundredth person he saw in costume on Saturday.

They had gotten there early, because the Voltron stuff would be there all day and the group wanted to get as much as they could. Even yesterday, Keith had witnessed so many people dressed up in costume. Some he recognized, but many he didn't. He was fairly certain several of his author friends would be disappointed in him for this fact. Well, he had never actually met any of them, so maybe friend was not the right word.

“Isn't it awesome?” Hunk exclaimed. “We thought about dressing up, too, but that would have cost more money, and we barely could afford this and the other convention.”

“Okay!” Pidge shouted, startling the other three. “Let's split up and see what cool stuff we can find.” She pointed eagerly at the group. “Text for any cool merch that can be found, and look for any signed things.” As Pidge darted into the crowd, she shouted, “There's treasure to be had!”

Hunk motioned to Keith. “You want to tag along with me?”

Not even letting Keith answer, Lance slung an arm around his shoulders and leered at Hunk. “I am taking him under my wing. I need this. I need to nurture the love for Voltron that I can clearly smell on him.” He took in a deep breath. “I can practically taste it. And I am destined to show him the way to the promised land.”

Keith furrowed his brow as he glanced over at Lance, then turned back to Hunk. “I'll be fine. I might come find you if he gets too crazy.”

Hunk chuckled and said, “Suit yourself.”

While Lance was showing Keith around the area dedicated to Voltron, they stumbled across some fans discussing the plot. Lance, apparently, got invested into it, because he migrated them over. It didn't take Keith long to realize the one that was doing all the talking was bullshitting out his ass.

“And, like, it's clear that Ryou and Akira are brothers. Akira's dad looks just like Ryou,” the guy rambled. He had dressed himself up like the red paladin, which probably irritated Keith even more. “And Tsuyoshi is basically comic relief. He hasn't had a real issue dedicated to him since the Balmera. And Hiroshi? What kind of disguise was that anyways? Like how could nobody recognize her? That just seems like poor writing.” Keith felt his eye twitch. Of course there always had to be a critic that just didn't understand something. “And Farla just suddenly has magic? Please. And what is the author even doing with Farla and Isamu? Like it's clear that they'll just end up together. The author shouldn't keep having her act like she doesn't feel the attraction.”

“Okay, first of all,” Lance suddenly interrupted, “how dare you. Never invalidate Tsuyoshi as anything other than important. Second, Akira gets along so well with Ryou because Ryou looks like Akira's father, doesn't make them brothers.” The guy seemed irritated that Lance was even trying to interrupt his tangents. “I'd also like to point out that the author was clearly making a point about how girls are looked over and sometimes ignored, which apparently you looked over and are exactly the example of what he was trying to get across.” Keith had a look of awe for Lance by now, his mouth just slightly open as Lance went on, even when the guy tried to argue. “How exactly do you think Farla controlled the castle like that, if she didn't have some magic in her?” Lance flailed his arms wildly at this. “She can open freakin' wormholes!”

The guy looked so offended. “Okay, but-”

No, Lance was not done. “And if there is going to be any romance in Voltron, it's likely going to be between Akira and Isamu, once they get past their obliviousness.”

“Isamu clearly likes girls,” another guy standing there interjected.

“Yeah, doesn't mean he isn't bisexual,” Lance argued.

Keith could barely comprehend anything right now. His brain was possibly about to start smoking from overload. Lance... actually got some of the implied messages he had written into the story? Lance? Had Pidge explained this to him? And he actually understood Akira, and appreciated Tsuyoshi, and didn't overlook Farla as a character. Although, honestly, Keith still had not made any decision on what romance path to take, but he wasn't against Isamu being bisexual.

Sticking up his nose at the group, Lance dragged Keith off towards a booth that sold figurines of all of the characters. Keith watched as Lance eyed a very well done blue lion, hovering above some ground. Sadly, it did not look like Lance could afford it. He pulled out his wallet, eyes glancing down to the sticker attached to the stand, then his shoulders slumped. Keith peered over Lance's shoulder. It was just shy of a hundred dollars.

Keith's brow furrowed as Lance dejectedly wandered over to the next stand, where they had some art. Taking out his own wallet, Keith grabbed his debit card and handed it to the woman behind the booth. “Can I get that blue lion for my friend, please?” he asked.

He got it wrapped up and bagged, then Keith turned to give it over to Lance. But Lance was gone. Keith let out a sigh. The idiot had probably gotten distracted by something flashy. It was definitely strange to see so many people dressed up as his characters, and there was so much merchandise. Like he knew that they sold plenty of toys, posters, and things like that. But a lot of this seemed to be made by fans. Some of it was even better than what they sold on the shelves. He was actually impressed.

Snapping a few pictures, Keith decided to show some of it to Kolivan later. Maybe they could get some of these people to help design better merchandise for stores. Or, at the very least, get some recognition out to the people that made this stuff.

As he was looking for Lance, Keith came to a stop as Thace walked by, phone to his ear, with several people from the publishing company following after him. His eyes locked onto Keith's for a moment, giving him a brief nod, before heading towards the stage. Keith was going to assume that the things the people were carrying was all the art being unveiled.

Just as he caught sight of Lance at another booth, eyeing some wall scrolls hanging from above the booth, Keith found a girl that was probably around his age, pressing a tissue to her eyes. Keith glanced at Lance briefly before stepping over to the girl. If Lance could wander around, Keith could go do his own thing for a minute.

Keith came to stand in front of her. She was clearly dressed as Princess Farla, and actually did a pretty good job on her costume. “Excuse me?” Keith asked quietly. The girl looked up, startled. “Are you all right?”

There was a definite pause from her, where she tried to dry her eyes and seem like she hadn't been crying. “Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you to worry.” She touched the tissue briefly to her nose, studying Keith curiously. “Please, we are at a convention, meant to have fun. There is no need to concern yourself.”

“You're upset.” Crouching down, Keith brought himself closer to her eye level. “What happened?”

“It was nothing, really. Just some people...”

Keith's brow furrowed. He really was not having a good day being around some of his fans. They were all great in letters and things like that, but some of them could apparently be dicks. “Who upset you?”

“Just,” the girl began, “two guys. They said I wasn't skinny enough to have any business dressing up like someone like Farla.” Her shoulders slumped as she finished her sentence. “But I really enjoyed her character, she's such an inspiration.” Those roamed up to meet Keith's. “I'm sorry to trouble you.”

“It's fine,” Keith said gently. He had his phone still in his hand. He palmed it a few times, flipping it over and over in his grip, debating on if he wanted to message someone to track these guys down and throw them out. “Are you going to be okay?” The girl nodded. “Do you have any friends here?”

“Yes,” was her reply, “I was actually looking for them. I just got here a little while ago.” She held up her phone with a frown. “But service is not very good right now, so I'm having a hard time getting a hold of them. But, please, I don't want you to miss out on this convention. Go enjoy yourself. I will be fine until I can find them.”

Giving a small nod, Keith stood up. He studied her for a brief moment before he said, “If it means anything, I think you look amazing.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at him, a real one, and it made Keith smile himself. “And thank you for stopping to check on me. It was very nice.”

With a final glance at her, Keith went over to where Lance was still looking at merchandise. He now had a bag in his left hand. Keith just gave him a dull look and handed the bag he was carrying at Lance.

Turning, Lance blinked at Keith, who would not look back at him. Lance peered inside the bag and his eyes shot open wide. “Holy shit, Keith! Did you buy this for me?” When Keith actually looked at him, there was such a soft look on Lance's face. It either made Keith want to hug him or punch him. He was undecided. “Dude, that's like the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me.”

“It looked like you really wanted it,” Keith mumbled.

“I did.” Lance peered back into the bag. It looked like he might cry himself. “I-I... This costed so much money! I can't accept this.” He actually tried to hand it back to Keith.

“Dude,” Keith started, “it's a gift. Accept it.”

Narrowing his eyes at Keith, Lance's eyes shifted between Keith and the bag. “This was really expensive, though.” Keith would totally punch him if he didn't just accept it already. Then Lance added, “Did Hunk tell you my birthday is coming up?”

“Uh... yes...”

It was a lie, but whatever got Lance to shut up and take the damn gift. Unfortunately, it did not get them away from the booth fast enough to save Keith.

“Isn't that sweet,” came a female voice that made Keith stiffen and his eye twitch. Shit. Behind the booth now stood Nyma. She had a smile on her face, but it was laced with treacherous venom. “If your boyfriend is willing to shell out the big bucks, he's clearly a keeper.” Her eyes opened from her smile and fixed on Keith. “I have a few things your boyfriend was looking at over here, if you want to look at them. Official merchandise. Money goes to our great creator, so that he can get more issues out for us.”

Keith felt his eye twitch again. Why was Nyma always out to get him? At least she wasn't actually addressing him by name. Lance beat him to say anything, though. “He's not my boyfriend.” Then Lance glanced at Keith from the corner of his eye, smirk now on his face. “But I would happily accept anything else he wants to buy me?”

“And what happened to 'it's too expensive?'” demanded Keith. Not wanting to let her think her last comment went unnoticed, Keith fixed Nyma with a glare. “I'm sure the author makes plenty of money without me donating to him.”

Still smiling, Nyma said, “I'll be sure to tell his publishers to tell him that.”

Not missing a beat, Lance quickly jumped in. “You work for Voltron's publishers? Have you met the author? What is he like? How old is he?”

Nyma tilted her head to the side with a smile. “Aren't you cute? Yes, I have met him.” Her eyes lingered on Keith as she twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “He's about your age.” She then scanned her eyes between Lance and Keith. “I'd say he's about your height.” Keith was going to kill her when he saw her next week. “He's boring, really. Just grunts a lot. Comes and goes, just drops off his work.” She let out a sigh and let go of her hair. “Sadly, he's very gay. I would know, I tried.”

Lance's eyes sparked at that. “Really? That's so cool! I can't believe the author is basically the same age as me!” His hands went behind his head, eyes falling closed. “And he's gay. I wonder if he's cute... or single...”

Nyma took the opportunity to smirk at Keith, who glared back at her. She mouthed, “He's cute.”

Before Lance could open his eyes, Keith was dragging him away. Nyma waved at them as they left. Keith, sadly, knew that she was going to spread the news of Lance to everyone at work. And they would then get the wrong idea that Keith had a boyfriend. Nyma was fine, really, but she was always up to no good.

Maybe he could catch Thace privately and beg for some damage control. Lance was just his friend. He didn't need Nyma getting the wrong idea. When did Lance even get to friend status, though? It was just like Keith blinked and suddenly Lance was there in the metaphorical friend room. What kind of magic had Lance pulled off to make that happen?

The place was a little too crowded for Keith's liking. And Lance was smiling at him for some reason. It wasn't until Lance said, “At least you're willing to hold my hand in public. Maybe you are a good boyfriend,” that Keith realized he was still holding onto Lance's hand from pulling him away from Nyma.

Quickly letting go, Keith frowned and said, “We aren't dating.”

“I know, but it's easy to poke fun.”

“Or flirt,” Keith mumbled.

That brought a frown to Lance's face. “What's that supposed to mean? I flirt, so what?”

Keith let out a grunt and refused to look up at Lance. “Just, you know, if you're going to invite someone to hangout, maybe you should pay attention to them. Instead of trying to find the nearest girl to flirt with.”

Smirking, Lance just said, “Would it have been better if it had been a guy?”

“No!” Keith felt color rising to his cheeks.

Keith was saved, though, by Hunk coming up to them. He had several bags in his hands. He was also followed by someone that Keith had already met. The girl dressed like Farla tagged along beside him. 

“Hey, guys!” Hunk greeted them. “Lance! You won't believe some of the cool things I found.” He was grinning so broadly that Keith was not sure how his face wasn't hurting. “You were right, skipping classes yesterday to make sure we were here all day was totally worth it.”

Funny, since Keith remembered the guy complaining at least half the way here yesterday about that fact. Pidge, surprisingly, had been totally calm. But she had explained that she had her professors email all her assignments to her.

“Oh,” Hunk continued, realizing Keith was standing there. “Keith, this is Shay. We're dating.”

“Right...” Keith held his hand out and shook Shay's hand. She was smiling at him.

“We already met,” she chuckled. Shay gave a nod to Keith. “He stopped to check on me earlier.” Then, meeting Hunk's eyes, she scratched the back of her head. “I was just lost. Nothing to worry about.”

The look that she shot Keith let him know that Hunk worried too much sometimes, and she did not want him to worry now. Clearing his throat, Keith said, “If I had put together that you were dating Hunk, I would have just told you to tag along with me and Lance.”

“Well,” Shay replied, “to be fair, Lance was not with you at the time.”

Hunk just smiled, his arm around Shay. “I probably should have shown you a picture of her.”

All that was left was for them to find Pidge. Not as easy as Keith thought it would be. “They are unveiling the new art soon,” Lance pointed out, checking his phone.

To hurry and find Pidge, they split up in pairs. Keith and Lance scanned the crowds, but to no avail. Lance actually looked anxious, but Keith wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to miss the art reveal or if he was worried about Pidge. From what Keith knew about Pidge, he was fairly certain that Pidge could handle just about whatever was thrown at her.

Unfortunately, instead of finding Pidge, they found someone else, who took an interest in Lance without even speaking to him. The guy was dressed as a Garla. He even had the sharp teeth and some yellow contacts.

“Hello there,” he said to Lance, who stopped and blinked at him. “Enjoying the convention?”

“Wow,” was all Lance said at first. The guy smiled at Lance's expression. “That costume is really cool! How long did it take to make?”

“Oh this? A few months.” The guy would not stop smiling. And he looked at Lance far too long. “And what's your name? I am Lotor.”

Lance, still blinking, said, “Me? Uh, I'm Lance.” He studied Lotor a bit more. “Are you here with the publishers, or something? Your costume just seems a bit more well done.”

“Uh... yes.”

Keith arched a brow. He had never seen this guy. Was he new? Maybe an intern? Maybe it was just hard to tell with all the purple body paint.

Lotor decided to continue with, “Anything a cute fan like yourself might want to know?”

Again, Lance had that wide-eyed look he had with Nyma. “Do you know the author?”

“Yeah,” Lotor replied. Uh, what? “I just saw him the other day. We get lunch together sometimes and he tells me what he's working on.”

Uh, bullshit. Keith had definitely never seen this guy, as far as he knew. A quick glance to the tag around his neck, Keith noted that there wasn't any special marking on it. He didn't work for Kolivan. But what was Keith going to do? He couldn't call the guy out for lying.

Lance, thankfully, wasn't smiling anymore. He had lost that sparkle in his eyes. “Really?” His voice sounded much duller now. It made Keith's lips twist up in a smirk. Maybe Lance wasn't as gullible as Keith thought. “So you could introduce me to him?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Lotor was still grinning. He clearly did not realize Lance wasn't biting. “I think I saw him somewhere earlier.” Well, Keith was staring right at him, so he wasn't technically wrong there. “Would you like me to introduce you?”

“No...” Lance said slowly. He smiled and grabbed Keith's hand. “I think you might have the wrong impression here. I'm happily dating.” Both Keith and Lotor had the same shocked expression. “Sorry.”

Lotor took one look at Keith and scoffed. “Him?”

“Uh, yeah?” Lance had an eyebrow raised and hand on his hip, bottom lip jutted out. His face turned to Keith and gave him a look. Unfortunately, it was too late that Keith could figure out what it meant. Keith's eyes shot open wide as Lance leaned in and planted a chaste kiss directly on Keith's lips. It was over before Keith's mind could even comprehend what had happened, and even before pink flooded Keith's cheeks. “I'm not an idiot, man. You're clearly bullshitting me. But I'm happily taken and currently looking for a friend, so you'll have to excuse us.”

As Lance led Keith away, Lotor just stood there and gawked at them. Keith could relate. His face had soon turned entirely red, finally processing what had happened. Lance had kissed him. On the lips. With his own lips. They had kissed. What? Why?

“I- You- How- Why-” Keith fumbled with his words and stumbled to keep up with Lance. “Why did you do that?” His fingers came up to touch his lips. He had never been kissed before. Never. And Lance had just come along and kissed him to get a guy to leave him alone.

“Sorry,” Lance muttered as he searched for Pidge. He wasn't even paying attention to Keith. Probably didn't think Keith had been really bothered by it. But Lance had just taken that from him. How could Lance not see it as a big deal? “The guy was shady. Needed to get away, seemed like a quick way to do it.”

He could still feel the warmth from Lance's lips on his. To be honest, Lance's lips were much softer than Keith had expected them to be. Then again, Keith was not really sure what he had expected from a kiss in general. He had nothing to compare it to, and it was barely even a second long.

Finding Pidge was far more challenging than they originally thought, but they did find her. She had several large bags on her arms and it was accompanied by a manic grin. Hunk wanted to chastise her, but Pidge quickly handed him a full bag that apparently was his. She even gave Keith one, who looked into it with confusion.

His fans sure got creative with what they made for these things. Keith slowly followed after the others as he dug through the bag Pidge had gotten him. They really expected him to fall in love with the graphic novel. It was actually a lot harder pretending that he didn't know anything about it than he thought it would be. Up until now, Keith had only given minimal interaction to people that read his work. It wasn't like everyone around him just spewed their love for Voltron typically. Hunk, Pidge, and Lance were the first real friends that Keith had made that didn't know who he was.

In fact, most of the people in his life, up until them, knew that Keith created Voltron. He really didn't make many friends. Any friends, really.

“Come on,” Hunk said, “there will be more time to look around after the panel!”

There was no arguments to be had. They made their way over to where the panel was, a long table in the front and many rows of chairs in front of it. Keith found the blown up art he had delivered on stage, covered with some cloth. Thace was already seated at the table, talking to Ulaz, who was the editor for Keith's storyboard. Nyma had actually made her way on stage. As Keith remembered it, she was supposed to be reading comments and questions. It took a lot of restraint for Keith not to groan. He had spent the majority of his week writing down his answers to those for Thace and Ulaz to use.

As everyone was getting settled in their seats, Thace checked his phone and then motioned for Nyma to get started. She cleared her throat close to the mic and then said, “All right everyone, it looks like we are ready to begin.” There was a cheer throughout the audience. Lance and Pidge were practically bouncing in their seats. “Thank you all for coming to listen to the Voltron Q&A.” A grin crossed her lips as she gave the audience an amused look. “As most of you have probably guessed, the rumors that the author would be here were exaggerated.” Of course she looked directly at Keith before she continued. “Mostly exaggerated.”

Thace cleared his throat warningly and Nyma smiled sheepishly as murmuring began in the audience. “What does that even mean?” Hunk leaned forward to whisper down the aisle.

“Maybe he's here!” Pidge replied. Keith was going to murder Nyma when he saw her again.

“I only jest,” Nyma quickly recovered. As she rested her elbow on the podium she stood at, she smiled. “Or do I? It will have to remain a mystery.” Definitely was going to kill her. Thankfully, Nyma decided to spare Keith further and pulled out some note cards. “I have some questions that many of you sent us.” More cheering. “Before we get started, let me introduce you to our two panel members. Why don't each of you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?”

Thace raised a hand in a lazy wave. “I am Thace. I work at Marmora Publishing, the company that puts out Voltron. I also work as the author's personal agent.” Several people cheered. Thace held up a hand. “Believe me, working with The Chief is not always the dream job.”

“Maybe he could have picked a better pen name!” Nyma chuckled. Several in the audience laughed. Keith just groaned and palmed his face. He was like sixteen at the time, he deserved a break!

“Maybe like his real name,” Thace continued, clearly shooting Keith a look. Like Keith had not heard a million times about how Thace wouldn't have to be subjected to these panels if Keith would just use his real name and show his face. “But that is another matter. He is a very talented writer, as I'm sure many of you are aware. And it has been a pleasure to be working with him the past two years.”

That first year of being with Malmora Publishing had been horrible. Kolivan had handled Keith himself, with no real knowledge of handling a teenage author. If Keith had been a hugger, he probably would have tackled Thace in one after just a week of working with the guy.

Next up was Ulaz. He stood up briefly and waved, several cheered for him. He actually enjoyed these panels. He was also usually the one that sat down and talked to Keith afterwards and let him know what the fans might want.

“My name is Ulaz,” he finally said. Keith glanced at Lance, who was leaning forward with his chin propped up on his palms. He was so invested that Keith could probably light his foot on fire and the guy wouldn't budge. “And I work for Malmora Publishing as its storyboard consultant and editor. I basically sit down with the author, and go over the direction of the story he is interested in taking.” Hands immediately shot up, but Ulaz bade them to wait. “I know, I know, you are all curious about what is going to happen in this next season.”

Leaning forward to speak into the mic, Thace said, “And we do have some art with us today that might help answer those questions.” A lot of cheering came with that news. “Why don't we just start with that? And then all of you can be forming some questions to ask us yourselves.”

There was an eruption through the audience. Thace motioned to Nyma and she moved to the first drawing. Honestly, Keith had no idea in which order his drawings were going to be unveiled. As Nyma removed the cloth, it revealed a drawing of Ryou and Hiroshi's lost brother. Both looked kind of beat up, especially the latter. Hunk and Pidge turned to each other with excitement. Thace motioned for Ulaz to take this one.

Standing to his feet, Ulaz took the microphone and walked over to the drawing. “So, as you can see here, Ryou is perfectly alive.” Much cheering for that comment. “At least for now.” Ulaz gave a chuckle as the audience fell silent. “You'll have to read and find out if I'm telling the truth.” He leaned forward, whispering into the mic. “To be honest, the author hasn't told me that far in yet.” There were several chuckles for that comment. “Some of this season will deal with Ryou finding his old friend, and that will be where he is for some time.”

Ulaz pointed to the next one and Nyma removed the cloth. This one had Akira standing before the black lion, helmet off, as the giant lion stood still. There was a quiet gasp. Lance's mouth fell open. Thace finally stood and joined Ulaz over by the drawing.

“With Ryou currently missing, Voltron will need a new leader. Whether it be temporary or permanent, that leader will be Akira.” Thace pointed at Akira and circled his form with his finger. “As you can see, he will be keeping the red paladin armor, as Ryou still has the black armor.” He raised a hand to silence people in the audience when they grew a little loud and several raised their hands. “Questions are later. And I am sure you all are wanting to know how Voltron will form without all five paladins.”

The next drawing was unveiled by Ulaz himself. “Here is the next paladin to fill the empty shoes.” This drawing was of Farla, full battle attire on, as she stood in front of the blue lion with a stern look on her face. Pidge and Hunk both looked at Lance, who looked a little sick. Keith's brow furrowed. He really hoped Lance wouldn't hate what he had done. “Princess Farla herself will be joining the fray with her team. How that will play out, though, will be revealed in the season.”

The next drawing had half the room cheering. Lance stuck out his tongue, which made Keith smile. This one was of the new Garla prince that was going to be showing up. Honestly, Keith was still working with him. But the character design was at least done.

“I think this one speaks for itself,” was all Ulaz said. “We know that you all have been eagerly awaiting the upcoming prince.”

Nyma stuck the next one on the panel table. She smiled as she pulled off the tarp. The audience fell silent, only a few gasps being heard. Lance was frozen, eyes slightly wide and mouth agape. “Do you see that?” Pidge whispered to Hunk. Keith could barely bring himself to look. This was the one that he had been dreading being around Lance when it was revealed.

“Isamu,” Thace said. He stood beside the drawing with his hands folded in front of him.

This was the final one. It was of Isamu, still in his blue armor, but now in front of the red lion. He had a solemn look on his face, a vast difference from his normal grin that Keith usually drew him with for these things. But Keith knew that the lion was not the main focus everyone was staring at. It was the new skin color and a mild change to his hair style.

Thace placed a hand on the drawing and said, “This is Isamu. Don't worry, he didn't die. It's not a new character.” He looked over at Ulaz, who shrugged. “Uh, I guess we can talk a little about him right now.”

“Lance, he looks just like you,” Pidge hissed in Lance and Keith's direction.

Brow furrowing, Lance kept staring at the drawing. “What? I mean, maybe a little.” A smile finally broke across his lips and Keith was able to breathe. “But isn't that cool! He's like Latino!” Several people nearby shushed him. Lance cringed and lowered his voice. “But like, really, that's so cool.”

“As you can tell,” Ulaz started, “he looks different. Our author had some inspiration recently, and apparently realized that Isamu would look better like this.” That brought some murmurs from the crowd. “To be specific,” Ulaz pulled out a sheet of paper and looked it over, “Isamu is Cuban.” Lance pursed his lips, his eyes large. He was happy. “We know this is a sudden change, but The Chief said just yesterday that he hoped that all of you will come to like this new design better.”

Thace took over from there. “You can also see that he is taking over as the red paladin, but keeping his armor as well.” He took the sheet of paper from Ulaz and read from it. “The Chief says that: 'Isamu is the only real option for a new pilot for the red lion, as he can be about as rash and quick to act as Akira is.'”

There was a lot of clapping. Some, including Lance, stood up to clap. Lance even whistled. Leaning back in his chair, Keith breathed a sigh of relief. He had been so nervous about how Lance would respond. Unfortunately, his relief was not long lived.

Pidge was giving him an odd look from his relieved appearance. It was just a blessing when Lance sat back down and said, “I can't believe I can have representation in my favorite graphic novel!” Those words, so pure and heartfelt, made Keith want to melt. “This season is going to be awesome. I don't even care that he's being moved to the red lion, him being Cuban now is like the best thing ever.”

Pidge and Hunk both smiled. Hunk chuckled and leaned towards Keith. “In case you can't tell, Lance really likes Isamu.”

“That's not fair,” Lance argued, “I like them all.”

Pidge adjusted her glasses and grinned at Lance. “Well, you have a crush on Akira.” That comment alone brought a blush to Lance's cheeks. “Interesting how your favorite character is now piloting the lion that your crush previously piloted.”

It did not seem like Lance was going to get to comment, probably much to his relief. Ulaz and Thace both sat back down, and Thace motioned for Nyma to start with some questions. She smiled and shuffled some cards she was holding. “Okay, let's get some questions that were sent in out of the way, and then we will still have time for a Q&A.” Nyma flipped to the next card. “Here's a question. Going into this, did any of you think Voltron would get as big as it did? Did the author?”

Ulaz and Thace both glanced at each other. “Not at first,” Ulaz confessed.

“I came in just as it was blowing up in popularity,” Thace added.

Ulaz continued with, “It definitely had potential. And I don't think even the author expected it to get anywhere near where it is now.” No, Keith definitely did not expect anything like this to happen to him. “But we've been doing our best to deliver a great story to all of you, and we have a long road planned ahead of us.” Ulaz was referring to a folder that Keith had put together last year, which detailed where he would like to take Voltron. “Next question.”

“Right,” Nyma mumbled. “The next question is asking if any characters were inspired by anyone in the author's life.” Keith could feel his face going red. Why was that a question?

Thace smirked and Keith wanted to sink into the ground. Ever since Keith had shown the drawing of Isamu to the publishers, Thace had been persistent if the new design was based on anyone. “It seems rather sudden,” the jerk had said.

Thankfully, Thace steered away from that particular subject. “I do know that one or two characters are based on people he knows.” Apparently, Thace had already spotted Keith, because he looked directly at him. Keith sat there, arms crossed, and flipped him off where nobody else could really see. Amused, Thace continued. “He refuses to admit that Haggar is based on a particular person in his life.”

Several people laughed, including Lance. Keith would have been mad, if Lance didn't have a nice laugh. Instead, Keith just settled in to listen to the rest of this panel. He checked his phone and groaned. It was going to be a long hour for this panel.

After Nyma got through several questions, the floor was opened up for questions. Some were easy, others were dumb, and some were things that Thace and Ulaz couldn't answer. But then Lance had his hand in the air and a mic was brought over, which was being held by Rolo, who smirked at Keith as he leaned over him to give Lance the mic. Keith might have stepped on the guy's foot when he went to step back.

Thace and Ulaz both had their chins propped up by their palms, clearly tired from all the questions they had to answer. Thace motioned for Lance to ask his question. Because Lance was too shaken just from standing there with the mic in his hand to do anything. His legs were actually shaking.

“Um,” Lance squeaked and then went red. There was some snickering. Clearing his throat, Lance managed to get out, “I have more of a request than a question.” This piqued Thace's interest, as well as Keith's. There was still a look of awe in Lance's eyes. “I was hoping that you could tell the author when you see him again that I really appreciate the representation that he's showing with the new design for Isamu. I'm Cuban myself, and I can't tell you what it means to me that my favorite character is now also Cuban.”

Not answering right away, Thace stared at Lance for a long moment. Then at Keith, tapping a finger to his lips. He smiled and Keith sunk in his chair, face now red. He knew. Of course he knew now. Keith was sitting right next to Lance, who just admitted that he was the exact same ethnicity that Isamu now was.

Pursing his lips to try and contain his smile, Thace just chuckled and said, “I have the feeling that he knows how much it means to everyone that wants representation.” His eyes finally left Keith and went back to Lance. “But I will personally tell him that you said that.”

“And that,” Nyma interjected before Rolo could hand the mic off again, “will conclude our panel.” There were a lot of groans of disappointment. “Sorry, sorry, but we are on a timed schedule.” She still wore her flashy smile and winked at them all. “We will see you all in a few months for the actual Voltron convention. We will be having a contest at that one, but you'll have to wait and find out what it is!” Nyma gave a giant wave. “Thank you all for coming!”

As everyone got ready to leave, Keith fought the instinct to run on stage and tackle all three of them up there. They were all out to get him. He already knew that the coming week was going to be hell.

It was a blessing when Hunk announced that they needed to head back to the hotel. They also needed to leave to get Shay to her car, as she had to get back for work in the morning. “I had so much fun, guys,” she smiled. “Again, thank you for getting me into Voltron. I very much enjoy it.” She turned to Keith and actually pulled him into a hug, which made his eyes shoot open wide. He rarely got hugged. “And thank you, Keith, for stopping to make sure I was okay.”

Keith just smiled and hugged her back. He was glad, truly realizing it now, that he had found these people. Even Lance, obnoxious personality and all. After they hugged, Shay and Hunk walked over to her car. The others waited to let Hunk have privacy with Shay, although Pidge and Lance both said that the most Hunk would probably do was kiss her on the cheek.

“They are taking it slow,” Pidge stated.

“Like a snail,” added Lance with a shake of his head and a smile.

When Hunk finally returned, he was blushing a little. Pidge and Lance just grinned at him. They loaded back into their car and went to pick up some food before going back to the hotel to eat. And they were all starving. They had gotten some breakfast before the convention, but had skipped lunch. And it was well past time for dinner.

The group sat in Hunk and Pidge's room to eat, finding a movie on TV to watch while they quietly talked and ate. Keith just sat and listed as the other three talked with much excitement. They were definitely rambling at an excessive rate.

“You're lucky,” Pidge pointed out to Lance, “at least they showed your favorite character. I was hoping to see some Hiroshi. At least we saw her brother. I was beginning to think we'd never see him again.”

Not thinking at all, Keith mumbled, “Maybe they can't change perfection.” All eyes turned to him and Keith's face quickly heated up. “Uh, I mean, they were showing new designs and looks for characters. And, even though I'm still on the first few books, Hiroshi seems like a badass.”

Pidge grinned and kicked her feet up onto the bed. “You're not wrong there.” She used her chopsticks to stuff a piece of chicken into her mouth. “I knew you were smart, Keith. You clearly have taste for which character matters.” Hearing that made Keith smile.

Digging into his bag, Lance pulled out the lion figurine that Keith had bought him. “Yeah, well, Keith bought me this.”

“Sorry,” Keith mumbled at Pidge and Hunk. “I was with Lance and didn't know what you might want.”

But neither was listening to him. They were both leaning close to inspect the lion in Lance's hand. “Dude!” Hunk began. “This thing must have been expensive. How'd you even afford it?”

“Oh. Uh, I mean...” His mother made plenty of money, even without mooching off him, but Keith didn't want to bring her up. Bringing her up would open up the possibility that his friends would ask about her. And it wasn't like he could just bring up the fact that he was perfectly well off on his own. “It's not a big deal. It was an early birthday present.”

Nice diversion, he thought to himself, when they all went back to admiring the figurine. And that was the end of the attention on him. As they went back to looking through their acquired goods, Keith decided to stay quiet. There was an empty feeling that began to form in the pit of his stomach, but Keith was not sure what it was just yet. Part of it felt lonely, which he was used to. But he was around friends now. Why was he feeling lonely?

All four of them finished eating and then it was time to get some sleep. Lance and Keith retired to their room. Keith got the bathroom first. After last night, he knew not to trust Lance in a bathroom before bed or after just waking up. It had taken them an extra hour to get going earlier because he refused to leave until his hair was just right.

After changing into some pajamas, Keith emerged from the bathroom. Lance traded places with him and Keith was already dreading him coming back. Last night hadn't been bad, really. Lance had been fine. They hadn't woken up in any awkward positions or anything, but Lance had brought his booty shorts to sleep in and a sleeveless shirt that exposed far too much skin. Keith had woken up before Lance, and had kind of just laid there to stare at Lance's bare shoulder. There was something beautiful about Lance's skin tone and even his back in general. He still hated to admit that was where he got the inspiration for the new Isamu look.

When Lance came back out, he plopped down on the bed, next to where Keith was seated with his legs crossed. “So,” Lance began with a grin, “how did you like the convention? Wasn't it amazing?”

There was no stopping the smile that Keith got. Lance's smile was just too contagious. “It was pretty cool. I guess I'll be going to the other one as well.”

“Good luck,” Lance snorted. He had an amused look as he looked up at Keith from where his head was on the pillow. “I think they sold out the other week. Pidge, Hunk, and I were lucky to get our tickets.”

Keith hummed to himself. He would be fine, but it would just mean that he needed an explanation to his friends now. But he couldn't just tell Lance that he wasn't worried about it. So he just stayed quiet.

The TV was turned on and the light was turned off, and Keith settled underneath the covers. He let Lance find something to watch, not knowing much himself about what was good. He rarely had time to watch TV or movies these days. Maybe it was the kiss, though, but Keith had a harder time laying next to Lance. Their shoulders were two or three inches apart, but Keith could feel the heat radiating off of Lance. 

Should Keith bring up the kiss? It probably didn't mean anything to Lance. He had been just trying to get an asshole to leave him alone. Lance had no idea it had been Keith's first kiss, and might even laugh if Keith tried to bring it up as a big deal.

A long sigh escaped Keith as he rolled onto his side, back now to Lance. The volume on the TV was turned down just a little. The bed shifted and Keith could practically feel Lance staring at him, though Keith didn't roll back over.

“Keith?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for coming,” Lance whispered. “I hope that us hanging out this weekend made up for me trying to blow you off to flirt with some girls.”

Keith rolled his eyes, smiling a little. Goddammit, Lance. He rolled over and both boys blinked in surprise, their noses now nearly touching. Lance had his hands tucked under his cheek. “I...” Keith stumbled on his words. Would it be too much to hope that it was too dark to see the blush on his cheeks? “It was nice. I had a lot of fun. Thank you for asking me to come.”

With only the light of the TV, Lance's eyes bordered on hypnotic. Keith mentally kicked himself. Stop being so lonely! He was practically desperate and it made him sad. Not aware of Keith's internal argument with himself, Lance quietly said, “You should come around more, don't be a stranger.” A smile was unconsciously brought to Keith's lips. “You live in the dorms, right? Do you get along with your roommate?”

“I live alone,” Keith admitted. He let out a sigh. “Although, I think I might move out and find an apartment.”

“Damn,” Lance whispered. “Must be lonely. I can't go that long without some form of human interaction.” Didn't surprise Keith. “But it's going to be pretty hard to find a place now.”

Again, Keith could have it taken care of, but he couldn't explain how to his friends. Lance had his brow furrowed, though, like he had something on his mind. He didn't say anything, though, and Keith wasn't sure if he should ask what it was.

Keith let out a sigh and rolled over again. “Goodnight, Lance.”

There was a pause, but Lance finally said, “Night!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that was good! It's actually really hard keeping Keith and Lance apart in a physical sense. So I hope the pacing isn't terrible. Keith is just lonely, you know, and he's finally being shown affection. Well, what he perceives as affection. Lance is just a natural flirt. I do hope that it was at least an amusing chapter. I just really wanted to get the entire convention into one chapter. Do not worry, though, because next chapter will pick up right where this one left off. Do not think I forgot your needs of having them wake up awkwardly in bed together. I got you. Also, any names used in the graphic novel are just the names of characters from the original Japanese Voltron. And the author name was so difficult for me to think of, so I just used Keith's nickname in the original version.
> 
> Haven't decided if we will see Lotor again, but Nyma, Ulaz, and Rolo will definitely be appearing more in the future. I should probably add them to the tags. Still trying to come up with the perfect place to put Coran. The next chapter is likely to include a time skip after a scene change, just as a heads up. This chapter was just already so long, I just wanted to end it and the morning scene would have been at least 5 more pages probably. I will end on the note that Lance's mother will probably be appearing in the next chapter or two. On that note, I am going to go enjoy the rest of my day. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, feel free to leave a review, and I will see you all next time!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I want to say that I am sorry this took so long. I just got caught up with trying to work on my other fics and my book, and then real life. Had to evict a roommate that decided taking my debit card without permission was a good idea. But he's gone. Other than that, I just have a lot going on to get ready for next month. I also play Final Fantasy XIV and there is a new expansion about to launch, so I got distracted trying to catch up on that. And just overall exhausting myself with other minor things. But here is the update! The morning scene was longer than I expected it to be.

The morning came all too soon for Keith's liking. The morning sun did not manage to wake him up, but his phone did. It vibrated incessantly on the nightstand a few inches in front of Keith's face. He groaned and buried his face into the warm pillow, too stubborn to open his eyes and acknowledge the damn thing. Oddly enough, his back felt a whole lot warmer than his front, and there was definitely something firm pressed up against his entire back.

For a moment, the phone was silent. The room was peaceful. Everything was good. Sadly, it did not last. Only a few seconds later the phone began to vibrate again. Keith's brow furrowed and his jaw locked, a low growl came from his throat.

It deflated when a sleepy groan resonated into his ear.

Keith's entire body tensed up as he realized a set of arms were around him. One draped over his waist, and the other lodged under Keith's neck. The firm object behind him shifted and Keith felt legs shift against his own and a foot meld between his own feet. One look at the hand by Keith's face told him exactly who it was. Not that it should have been hard, considering there was only one other person in the room, but it took a bit for Keith's brain to work in the mornings.

Never before did Keith think his heart could pound so hard in his chest. One glance over his shoulder showed him that Lance was spooning him, his nose nuzzled into the back of Keith's neck. His eyes were still closed and his face was soft, and Keith could even feel Lance's chest rise and fall if he stayed perfectly still. It was nice. Lance was cute, but the position was a little uncomfortable, only for the sole reason that something was pressing against Keith's ass and Keith was fairly certain what it was.

With a grunt, Keith worked his body into rolling onto his back. Lance groaned as he did, but only nuzzled more into Keith's body, his nose now resting on Keith's shoulder. The covers hid most of Lance's exposed body. At some point, Lance must have gotten hot and rid himself of his shirt, because it was clearly not on. And Keith's eyes couldn't help but drift down from Lance's face. The cover hid his stomach down. He didn't have any chest hair, and his arm hair was only on the forearm and pretty sparse. Keith's eyes found themselves on Lance's clavicle.

Unconsciously, Keith gently raised a hand and brushed his fingers along the bone line of the clavicle. Eyelashes fluttered and soon Keith was staring into Lance's eyes. Lance let out a long groan, the arm that had been draped over Keith now stretching up in the air. Keith felt the other one move underneath him, stretching out behind Keith.

“Can I help you?” Lance groaned, rubbing at his eyes. Then he blinked once, twice, and then his eyes went wide. He skittered across the bed and nearly fell off. “Wh-What are you doing?” His face was now red, but so was Keith's.

“Me?” Keith demanded. He sat up with a frown. “You were spooning me when I woke up!”

Lance scoffed and crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Don't be ridiculous. I would never spoon someone with a mullet.”

Probably wasn't the best time, but Keith's eyes had a mind of their own. They darted down towards Lance's bellybutton. It wasn't the first time that Keith had seen Lance without a shirt, but he did find Lance's body more than appealing. It was an objective observation. The guy took care of his body... somehow. Maybe it was the yoga? But there was not a part of Lance that Keith did not appreciate. His lithe back, long legs, lean torso, and beautifully crafted shoulders, there really wasn't a part of Lance's body that did not remind Keith of a great sculpture.

Keith's eyes went wide as a hand reached out and lifted his chin. “My eyes are up here, Keith,” Lance said with an irritating smirk. Keith glared at him. Lance cleared his throat and got out of bed. “It's no big deal. I just... you know, gravitate towards warm things in my sleep. It's perfectly normal.”

 

“Yeah,” Keith muttered, “normal. Everyone does it.”

Lance pointed towards Keith. “Phone.” He wasn't pointing at Keith, he was pointing towards Keith's phone. “Better get that. I'm gonna grab a shower before we check out and grab some breakfast.”

As Keith reached for his phone, he called out towards Lance before he could shut the bathroom door. “Don't take forever in there! Some of us mere mortals would like time cleaning up, your majesty!”

Sighing, Keith sat up and picked up his phone. His eyes squinted and he debated tossing it somewhere. It was Kolivan. Why? What had he done to deserve this? He was the one victimized yesterday by Kolivan's own employees. If anything, Kolivan should be calling them. Keith was still on his... vacation... whatever someone wanted to call it. It was meant to be a weekend away from his stressful life.

Later. Keith shoved the phone under his pillow and planted his face into the softness, deciding to get a little more sleep. He had a lot of hours to make up for on all the nights he barely slept any. He just hoped that Lance would wake him up to let him get a shower as well.

He did wake Keith up, but not in the way that Keith expected.

When Keith opened his eyes from Lance shaking his shoulder, Keith found himself staring at a nearly naked and very wet Lance. The only thing that he had on was a towel that hung loosely around his waist, and there was water still dripping off his body. His hair was even still wet.

Keith's face turned immediately red and he just said, “Couldn't you have, I don't know, put some clothes on?”

Smirking, Lance replied, “It looked like you wanted to see more of my body a moment ago.” His fingers lingered on the spot that held the towel around his waist. “I could always let this drop... if you wanted to-”

“No!” Keith shot out of bed and grabbed clean clothes. Why wouldn't his face stop being all red? He caught sight of it in the mirror, along with Lance's smirking face. He flipped the guy off with a glare. Lance just shrugged and began to unhook his towel.

He would regret it later, but Keith immediately darted into the bathroom and shut the door. He kicked at the door when he heard laughter from the other room. Stupid Lance. As he got undressed and turned on the shower, Keith did find himself wondering if Lance would have actually exposed himself to Keith like that. Probably, Keith decided. He banged his head against the shower wall. It sucked because, as much as Keith hated to admit it, the rest of Lance's body probably looked as good as the parts Keith had already seen. And Lance did not seem ashamed of his body at all.

When Keith finished in the bathroom, he came out fully dressed. He wasn't like Lance. He didn't need to show off. Lance, thankfully, had gotten dressed as well. He had on a sleeveless blue shirt and white shorts, a blue cap reversed atop his head. He arched a brow at Keith as he texted away on his phone.

“Pidge said we need to hurry and get out,” he mumbled. Lance's head nodded towards the bed. “Your phone went off twice while you were in the shower. I'm going to guess you didn't actually answer whoever is calling you.”

Keith let out a long sigh and retrieved the phone. “No,” he grumbled. Not only did he have two new calls since he last checked, but several texts since seven that morning. It was only ten! Keith shook his head and pocketed the phone. Reaching back, he grabbed his hair, a thin black hair tie wrapped around his wrist. “I'll call him back while we are checking out.”

“Who?” Lance asked and finally looked up from his phone, the faint sound of the click registering.

When Keith looked up after finishing with tying his hair back, he found Lance staring at him with a dazed look. “Uh... Lance?” he asked. Lance quickly shook his head and looked at his phone again, but made no attempt to type anything. Okay then? “You want to wait down in the lobby?”

Lance gave a nod, though he made no attempt to look in Keith's direction, scratching at his cheek and gathering his bag. To say that the ride down the elevator was awkward was an understatement. Had Lance ever been this quiet before? What was wrong with him?

They found Pidge and Hunk already at the front desk. Hunk tossed them a wave, yawning as he said, “Morning, fellas. Ready to get out of here and find something to eat? I'm starving.”

“Yeah,” Pidge said, turning slightly to look at the group. “I'll be done in a moment. Why don't you guys go get the car and pull it around?”

“Good idea,” Lance agreed. He smirked at Hunk. “Come on, man.” Then his eyes briefly met Keith's and he cleared his throat. “You coming?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Like I have much of a choice.” As they left the door, Keith felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He sighed and pulled it out. Of course it was still Kolivan. “I've got to take this, you guys go ahead.” The other two just gave shrugs and walked towards where they had parked the car last night. Keith took in a deep breath and accepted the call, putting it up against his ear. “Yes? You've only called me like twenty times.”

There was clear frustration in Kolivan's voice. “And yet you didn't pick up any of the times I called,” he replied. Keith just smirked. “I was calling to let you know that the convention was a big success. The forums are all a buzz. You're actually getting a lot of praise on the change to Isamu, as well as a lot of interest in the paladin changes. However...” Nothing else needed to be said, Keith already knew he was about to get a headache. “I had several employees tell me that you were seen with a boy that strongly resembled your new illustration of Isamu. Anything you would like to tell me?”

“Nope,” Keith dully said, stepping aside as a couple went into the hotel. He looked out at the road as morning traffic was beginning to pick up. “I don't believe I have to report having friends to anyone.” He spun on his heel and started pacing the other direction. “And, by 'employees', I take it you meant Nyma.” If he ever caught that woman alone, Keith could not guarantee that he would not strangle her.

“If it's just a friend,” Kolivan replied, “but you are right. And it was not just Nyma.”

“Rolo doesn't count. He will say anything Nyma wants him to.” Keith definitely felt that headache coming on. “Why does it matter?”

Kolivan cleared his throat and said, “I just want to make sure that you aren't getting too much on your plate. You have all this work, then you wanted to go to college, and now you want to balance a social life?”

“So, what, can I not have friends?”

“That is not what I am saying. I just want to make sure you can get your work finished on time.”

Slumping his shoulders, Keith turned to pace back the way he just came. He was beginning to wonder if it was possible for Lance and Hunk to have gotten lost with such a short distance. “I can get my work done,” he whispered. “You don't have to worry. I just need some friends. Was there anything else?”

He finally caught sight of Lance and Hunk, who had decided it was a perfect opportunity to take selfies in front of the hotel and by their car. Keith sent a dull look in their direction and shook his head. Pidge was probably going to murder them for not being able to get across the parking lot to fulfill a simple task.

“I was hoping,” Kolivan began, “that you might have reconsidered speaking at a convention in the future. There is the actual Voltron convention soon. You could-”

“I'd rather not.” The weekend was definitely coming to an end, and the stress of Keith's life was already hitting him again. “I just really don't want anyone to know who I am. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But I'll let you know if that ever changes.”

Letting out a sigh, Keith turned around again, but this time he froze. He could hear Kolivan talking in his ear, but none of it was heard. Standing there in the doorway of the hotel was Pidge, who had a very curious look on her face. Color drained from Keith's face as his stomach began to feel very ill. How much of that had she heard?

“Keith? Keith?” Kolivan's voice finally rang through to Keith. “Are you still there?”

“Y-Yeah,” Keith quickly apologized. “Can we talk about this when I get back? I've got to go.” As Keith hung up the phone, Hunk parked the car beside Keith. “Hey, Pidge. Um, everything good?”

At first, Pidge said nothing. She just looked up at Keith with that inquisitive stare, adjusted her glasses and looked over at the car. As Hunk and Lance got out, she finally said, “Yep. All good to go.” If only Pidge would stop giving Keith that look. Was everything all right or not? “What about you? Everything good with you?”

“What? Oh.” Keith fumbled with his phone and slipped it into his pocket. “Yeah. Just some stuff. No big deal.” The worst part was that Keith could not tell if Pidge bought it or not.

Thankfully, Pidge said nothing to the group. But she also said nothing else to Keith. So, as they drove to find food, Keith played the conversation with Kolivan over and over again in his head to make sure there wouldn't be anything that would give him away. He didn't think there was. At most, Pidge might have been curious what Keith meant about not wanting people to know who he was. Very ominous, Keith was sure of that, but he also couldn't just pull Pidge aside and ask if she thought he had created Voltron. Even just asking what she thought he meant would be suspicious. So Keith was just stuck.

And he would probably remain stuck like this until Pidge decided to do something with what she overheard.

\---------------------------------

If Lance took after one of his parents, it was definitely his mother. He fully accepted his dramatic tendencies, as well as the need to be prepared whenever traveling. Like last weekend, they had only been gone for the weekend, but Lance had packed double what everyone else had. And he got that from his mother, who was here this weekend, and she too had several suitcases that felt like they had been packed with bricks.

With his mother staying the weekend, Lance was being a gentleman and offering her his room while she stayed. He would be on the couch. “You need to put some meat on those bones,” his mother chided him. Lance let out a groan as he managed to drag both bags into his room, because god forbid that his mother get suitcases that had wheels. “Are you eating plenty? Do you need some extra cash, honey?”

Quickly, Lance dropped the bags and grabbed his mother's wrist before she could get her wallet out of her purse. “That is not necessary, Mom. I'm fine.” He gave her a reassuring smile and his mother just shot him a disbelieving look before she looked around Lance's room. “I hope this will do?”

“How do you have any boy or girl over here with all this comic book stuff?”

Lance let out a groan. Well he didn't have anyone to impress right now, so that was irrelevant. Second, if they couldn't accept Voltron, they didn't deserve Lance. “Voltron is cool, Mom.”

His mother just hummed, carefully inspecting every inch of the room. A door opened down the hall and then Pidge poked her head into the room. She smirked at Lance and then threw on a huge smile. “Mama McClain!” Pidge exclaimed.

Smiling, Lance's mom turned around and opened her arms as Pidge dove forward. “I told you a million times, Katie, just call me Clara.

Pidge pouted and said, “It's Pidge.”

“I'll call you Pidge when you call me Clara,” Lance's mother teased.

“Fine.” Then Pidge shot a mischievous look towards Lance. “Oh, Lance, Hunk is bringing Keith by to work on their project. They'll be staying for dinner.”

Unconsciously, Lance's lips tilted up, and he did exactly what Pidge wanted. Because his mother was watching and she said, “Who is this Keith?” She looked to Pidge for answers. “Is this Lance's new boyfriend?”

“Mamá!” Lance exclaimed, his face now red. Both Pidge and his mother smirked at him. They were both evil and now Lance remembered why he hated having them around each other. “We are just friends. There is nothing going on between us. Pidge is just filling your head with nonsense!”

Arching a brow, Pidge said nothing. Lance's mother didn't seem to buy it either. Why was this so unfair? There was absolutely nothing going on between him and Keith! Why was Pidge out to get him like this? He had done nothing to her!

Thankfully, his mother busied herself with preparing dinner. Unfortunately, she signed Lance up to help her. Which required Lance to go out and pick up some ice, since they were out, to make margaritas. Because Lance's mother was the best, but only when Lance's father wasn't around to actually parent. Honestly, Lance wasn't even surprised when the first thing that his mother unpacked was tequila.

It wasn't so bad, until Lance got back and found Keith's car on the curb. “Fuck,” he cursed under his breath as he shot his car into the driveway and jumped out of the car. After what Pidge had said, there was no way that Lance wanted to trust his mother to be around Keith. He just hoped that Hunk and Keith had just gotten there.

Nope.

They had not in fact just gotten there. In fact, his mother was pouring them all small shots while she finished cooking dinner. “Come on, Keith,” his mother said, “keep up now. My youngest son can drink faster than this.”

As Keith knocked back the drink, his face contorted and he stuck out his tongue. Pidge and Lance's mother chuckled. Hunk leaned against the counter, casually stirring the sauce for the woman that was currently trying to get Keith drunk.

When Keith looked over at Lance, so did the rest of the room. Lance's mother smiled and placed a hand on Keith's shoulder as Lance deposited the ice in the freezer. “Lance! Your... friend here,” she paused to snicker with Pidge at the statement, “is very nice. Also very handsome.”

“Uh,” Keith fumbled, “thank you?”

Lance took a seat next to Keith and narrowed his eyes at his mother. “Ignore her. Pidge fed her lies earlier.”

“He is very handsome, Lance,” his mother repeated. “Do you think you can do better or something? Honestly, mijo, you should scoop him up before someone else does.”

“Mom!” Lance shrieked, his face lighting up a very colorful red. Keith's own face had turned pink, including his ears. “Don't harass him, he's a guest and friend.”

But, of course, his mother never let him off easy. She decided to get Keith's opinion. “What do you think about my son? He is quite handsome, isn't he?” She reached out and cupped Lance's chin, smiling warmly at him. “And very sweet... when he isn't trying to be a giant flirt.”

“Hey!” Lance argued.

Keith cleared his throat, trying to avoid eye contact with Lance. “He's, uh...” Oh god, Keith was never going to want to come around here again, thanks to his mother. “He is.” Wait, what? “And nice. He was nice enough to invite me to the convention we went to last weekend.”

After dinner, Hunk and Keith had to get to work on their project, because Keith was going to be busy the rest of the weekend and most of next week. The news bummed Lance for some reason, knowing he wouldn't see Keith for at least a week, possibly more. But it meant that his mother couldn't harass Keith anymore during her stay probably.

It did leave Lance alone with his mother in the living room, but they did have the margaritas. After one, Pidge had to go and get to work on her own homework. Lance would have to do that later, but he didn't want his mother to be bored. So they sat on the couch in pajamas, warm slippers on their feet and their legs propped up on the foot rest, margaritas in hand as they watched Legally Blonde.

Out of nowhere, his mother decided to ask, “So how long have you been dating this Keith boy?”

The words nearly caused Lance to spill his drink and choke. “What?” he demanded. “We aren't. I told you, Pidge was lying. Keith and I are just friends.”

His mother frowned and her eyes darted up and to the right. “Are you sure? You two stared at each other a lot during dinner, and he smiled at you before going off with Hunk... and you were staring at him all goofy like.”

“Mom!”

“Just pointing out what I saw,” his mother raised her hands in defense, taking a sip of her drink while her right hand was up. “From what I gathered, he didn't really know anything about your... comic thing, but chose to go to that convention with you anyways.”

“Yeah,” Lance retorted, “because it's awesome.”

She sighed and looked at her son. “Mijo, don't be a fool. Scoop him up before he manages to get away and you regret it.”

“There isn't anything to regret. We are just friends.”

With another sip, his mother mumbled, “You are going to put your mother in an early grave,” and settled in to finish the movie.”

\----------------------------------------

“Thanks for taking time to work on this tonight,” Hunk said as Keith gathered up his things to leave. “What all do you have going on? You seem swamped, and you usually look exhausted. Do you work?”

“Uh,” Keith paused, “something like that. I might need to ease up next semester.” He offered a tired smile and slid his backpack onto his shoulder. “Thanks for having me over, I had fun. And also thanks for dinner. I see where Lance gets his personality from.”

Hunk chuckled and stood up. “Oh yeah. His mother is like the best. I think she likes you.”

“Yeah,” Keith chuckled. “I think she would like me to date Lance, if that's what you mean.”

Opening the door to his room, Hunk just shrugged. “Maybe. I don't think he would object? And, I mean, he's bi... you like dudes...”

Keith's face turned pink and he stammered. “H-How...? Did Lance say something?”

“Nope,” Hunk mused. “It's just kind of easy to tell. You don't really seem that interested in the girls in our class, or any girl that we come across.” He leaned against the door, checking down the hall to make sure they weren't heard. “But you definitely perk up a little here lately whenever you're around Lance. So... are you interested in him?”

Okay, Keith was not expecting this conversation. This entire night had been an experience for him. What was he supposed to say? “I mean, he's definitely attractive. Look, I just haven't ever really dated... like ever. And I don't really have a lot of free time. Plus Lance flirts a lot, and I don't know if he would be interested in me anyways. But it mainly comes down to I just don't have time for a relationship, or even how I feel about someone romantically. Sorry.”

Instead of responding, Hunk just nodded. He stepped aside and followed Keith down the hall. As Hunk opened the door, Keith caught sight of Lance and his mother on the couch. Both boys in the hall arched their brows. Coughing, Lance paused the movie and stood up.

Lance's mother, Clara, smiled at Keith. “It was nice meeting you, Keith!” she called over. “It's too bad you're busy this weekend. I'm loads of fun.”

Keith chuckled as Lance slid up to him, hands in his back pockets. “I can tell. Maybe I can have more free time next time you are in town. Have Lance give me a heads up.” He smiled and nodded at the woman before he stepped outside. Hunk waved at him, but Lance actually stepped out onto the porch, a knowing smirk being sent Keith's way from Hunk.

“Sorry about her,” Lance mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I've been single a while, and I think she's just willing to push anyone on me.”

“Gee, thanks,” Keith said dully.

Color quickly filled Lance's cheeks and he waved his hands defensively. “No! I didn't mean it like that. Uh, I just mean that... you know, she just wants me to be happy. And she seems to like you, so she would like me to date you.” More color filled his face, his ears now red. “Not that we would date! Not that you like me like that. Uh, this is awkward.”

Keith just chuckled. “Yeah. I've never seen you so lost for words. Definitely not the smooth, cool Lance that I know.” He smirked up at Lance before adjusting the backpack on his shoulder. “I really didn't mind. My dad was like that sometimes. Well, not the 'hey let's get drunk' kind of parent, but he definitely tried to push me into relationships.” Rubbing at his neck, Keith just sighed. “Just never had time, really. Besides, I was the weird kid in school that everyone stared at.”

Lance bounced on his heels, looking at Keith from behind his eyelashes. Keith's heart decided it wanted to attack his chest with its incessant beating. Was it just Keith, or was Lance leaning towards him?

“I don't think you're weird,” Lance said quietly. Keith's heart was in overdrive by this point. Lance was definitely leaning closer. Was he going to kiss him again? No, Keith had to be imagining things. Lance probably didn't even realize what he was doing. “It sucks you won't be around all week. I think I've gotten used to your constant visits.”

“I'm sure you'll manage,” Keith teased. “Besides, I'll probably need some coffee.”

“Yeah,” Lance smiled. A silence hit them and the two boys stared at each other. Lance's eyes flickered down from Keith's eyes and Keith's own fell to Lance's lips as Lance ran his tongue along his bottom lip. The air felt tense and there was a physical tightness in Keith's chest as he just stood there, waiting. But what was he waiting for?

Lance took a step forward towards Keith.

“Lance!” The door flung open and Clara stood there with her drink still in hand. “You're missing the best part of the movie!”

Clearing his throat, Lance now refused to meet Keith's eyes and he stood several feet away from Keith. “Sorry, I was just talking to Keith.” He smiled at Keith as he took a few steps towards the door. “I'll talk to you later, Keith. Feel free to text me if you find yourself bored.”

“Yeah,” Keith offered up a smile as Lance went inside and shut the door. He let out a long sigh and his head fell back. As he stepped off the porch, Keith let several long groans fall from his throat.

He was stupid, just stupid. His imagination had gotten the best of him. How lonely was he, really? His mind was playing tricks on him. His imagination took Lance standing there as he chatted with Keith and turned it into making it seem like Lance was leaning in for a kiss. If Lance was going to kiss him, it would have happened at the hotel last weekend? Not to mention that Lance flirted plenty. He hated to think it of his friend, but did he really know if Lance was the type to just get what he needed from someone and then be done with it?

As he unlocked his car, Keith let his head fall against the hood with another groan. He needed to get a date. Then maybe he wouldn't be so lonely and his mind wouldn't be going crazy. However, he just did not have time for anything. The sad part was that a booty call might be the only thing he really did have time for. And that... that just made him more depressed. It wasn't what he wanted, and he didn't know if he could handle doing that anyways. How worthless would it make him feel?

But what was he supposed to do? Was Keith just meant to give something up out of his life? Could he? Keith wanted the normal life, but he loved writing Voltron. He loved having Lance, Hunk, and Pidge as his friends. There wasn't a part that he wanted to give up, but he didn't know how much longer his mind could take living like this.

\----------------------------------

“I just wish I could catch a break,” Keith mumbled as he sat on the grass beside his father, fingers grabbing and pulling at the grass. “I don't know if I can keep balancing this dual life I've built for myself. Maybe Thace is right, you know? I think now I realize that they weren't telling me all this to hurt me, but to help with the load I've put on my shoulders.”

He paused, hoping for an answer, but none came. He didn't expect it to.

“I'm making friends,” Keith continued. He let out a slow breath and turned his head to the sky. “I think... Maybe I like one of them?” Keith sighed and shifted his weight, feeling his phone buzz in his pocket. “Hang on.”

As he pulled out the phone, Keith looked at it. It was Shiro. Keith hadn't really left any notice for where he was going, but Shiro usually knew where Keith was if he just vanished. When Keith picked up, Shiro greeted him with, “Hey, are you with Dad?”

Even though Shiro had been almost out of high school when their parents married, he still took a strong liking to Keith's father, and the feeling had been mutual. Out of respect, Keith had also started calling Shiro's mom his own mother. She was a warmer mother than his biological one anyways.

“Yeah,” Keith whispered, raising his knees and resting his arms across them. “You can tell Kolivan that I'm not dead, I'm just thinking. I just haven't felt like answering his calls today.”

“Keith,” Shiro said softly into the phone. “Did something happen? You usually go out there when something is troubling you.”

Slowly, Keith's gaze shifted from the grass. It moved up until it met the gray headstone that bore his father's name. “I'm fine.” He was just glad he was alone, because he could feel his tears threatening to spill out. “I just... I don't know. I can't figure Lance out.”

“So this is about a boy?” Shiro sighed and Keith knew that he was rubbing his temple. “Keith... why don't you just try... asking him on a date?”

“No.”

“You know, if you're going to date him, you're going to have to tell him who you really are.”

Why did Shiro have to talk about this now? He knew that this place that Keith was at was sacred to him. “Can we talk about this later?” It didn't really matter, if he never dated Lance. And the likelihood of that happening was probably pretty slim.

Shiro whispered, “You know you can always talk to me. He wouldn't want you to torture yourself without any help.” It was only mildly frustrating how great Shiro and Keith's father knew each other with only a short time around each other. “Keith?”

“I'm still here,” Keith muttered. He brought his chin down to rest on his knees. “I know you're only trying to help. I just... I don't think there's a reason to be concerned. It's just a crush. Nothing is going to happen.” He groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose. “I don't have time to date, even if he was interested.”

“You sell yourself short. There's plenty to like about you, Keith.” Then there was a pause, and Keith had this sudden feeling that Shiro was smirking. Fuck. “You know...” Dammit. Why? “We could all hangout. Maybe take them with us when we go play paintball. You could tag along, and I could really meet this Lance guy.”

“No!” Keith groaned, covering his face. He did not need more stress.

“Great! I'll make the plans.”

It was like Shiro had selective hearing, or something. Amazing. It was also amazing how easily Shiro could make Keith want to strangle him. Probably revenge for their high school days and Keith's emo phase. And he knew that there was no getting out of this. Shiro was probably already working on getting Allura's help with it.

When Shiro spoke again, his voice had softened. “I'll let you go. Just... call me if you need to talk. I'm always here.” He paused, sighing. “Don't stay out there too long.”

Without replying, Keith ended the call and dropped the phone onto the grass. He said nothing else, just stared at the tombstone of his father. It had been a shitty year that year. His father had gotten sick shortly after he married Shiro's mother. But it didn't start getting bad until the summer before Keith started his senior year. Shiro was off at college through most of it, and then they had to bury Keith's father during the winter break. It was the only time that Kolivan had forbid him from working.

If there was one thing that he always wondered, it was how his father would have reacted to the news that Keith was gay. Both Shiro and his mother had taken it well, Allura had cried and decreed that she had a new shopping buddy, which Keith venomously objected to. His own mother had not really cared one way or the other. “Who you screw is not my concern,” was all she had said on the matter.

But his father?

Nothing. He would never know. Maybe he shouldn't have been so afraid back then. His father was kind and always supportive. He had been the one that had pushed Keith into pursuing Voltron, surely he wouldn't have cared about Keith's sexuality. The man was like Shiro, and if Shiro accepted it, Keith's father surely would have. But the uncertainty was still there. It probably always would be.

As Keith stood up, he walked over and ran his fingers along the stone. “I'll come back soon to visit,” Keith whispered. Taking in a deep breath, Keith began to trek back to his car. If there was one thing that Keith would have traded this life he had built for, it would most certainly have been to have his dad back. Or at least more time with him. It felt like he had never really given his father the time the man had deserved, and Keith would always be sorry for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter than last chapter. Actually, shorter than the one before last as well. Another reveal! I have been slipping in minor hints that Keith's father was not still alive. He doesn't refer to his father in a present sense, he doesn't seem to have communication with his father currently, and a few other things. I feel bad for Keith. But this is why he kind of feels so lonely. He lost his father right before graduating high school, never really had friends in high school, and all he really has had lately is Shiro and Allura. And here comes Lance, trying to get to know him and be near him.
> 
> I hope the beginning made up for the depressing ending there. I did promise! I am sure you're all eager to see what Pidge might have caught. That'll have to wait until later! Don't worry if you loved Lance's mom and wanted more of her, next chapter is probably going to focus more on Lance and Keith separated. So it'll be the Sunday while Lance's mom is there. Paintball! Sadly, Keith won't be able to be there, but that just leaves more time for Shiro and Allura to interrogate Lance! And for Lance's mom to destroy everyone at paintball.
> 
> As far as updates go, it shouldn't be that long for the next one. I'm just going to some more work on my book and then come straight back to this. I just really enjoy writing this story! So until next time! See ya!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry! I really, really am! I said it wouldn't be so long. But here's the thing: literally after I posted that last chapter, my landlord called me within a day or two and asked if I wanted to move early due to all three parties involved wanting to move around. Basically the person that got my old place needed in there at the beginning of July, but I was still in there. So the person who had the apartment I'm now in also had already moved out and was just going to pay rent at two places. So the landlord took care of everyone. Moving sucked, though, especially on such short notice. Literally the worse time, because I had a lot of paperwork to fill out moving and having to get some taken care of for my night class that I'll be starting next week. And I had to immediately start preparing to host a friend coming all the way from Texas(If any of you read CarleeAdison if you venture into PJO). So I've had a busy month. Not to mention Stormblood launched for the MMO I play, and the remastered Final Fantasy 12 just got released. Plus I have the Destiny 2 beta next week. Not enough time to get everything done! Oh and my book.
> 
> But I finally got the update. I'm also really sorry for not getting to respond to a lot of you. As you can imagine, I haven't had much time to breath. Well, really I just haven't had much time to log on here. But I'm going to get back on my game and respond to those comments. I do hope you enjoy this chapter, and its look into the lives of Keith and Lance when they aren't around each other.

War never changed. Only the men and women changed. The things they saw out there, it changed them. Forever. And right now, Lance was in that war. Hunk had taken a few shots, but Lance wasn't going to give up on him, not while-

“Hunk!” Lance whined as his friend dug out some Cheetos that he had packed away in the pouch on his belt. “We are at war! Shiro isn't calling it quits.” Lance waved off to the other side of them, where Shiro had taken cover with Matt behind a barricade. “We can't let the enemy beat us.”

How they were beating them was beyond Lance. It was four against three. Lance always knew that Pidge was a demon. Lance tensed up as something slid in behind them. Slowly turning his head, Lance nearly shrieked.

Shiro had his entire arm covered in paint and was glaring at both of them. “Are you two having a picnic back here, or are you planning on returning fire?” Matt was laughing at them from the barricade across the field.

Lance suddenly realized just how quiet it was. Perhaps it should have stayed that way. Allura broke the silence by yelling, “Surrender while you still have the chance, and maybe we'll show you mercy!”

The exasperated sigh that came from Shiro told Lance that the guy was used to losing to his girlfriend. Slowly, Lance peered over the barricade, so that only his eyes and forehead were visible. Allura stood there triumphantly, while Pidge and Lance's own mother had their guns trained on them. How could she betray him like this? Lance couldn't believe he had been raised by a traitor.

Lance stood straight up and yelled back, “You'll never take us al-”

A paintball hit his mask before he could finish and caused the boy to stumble backwards, shrieking as he fell over Shiro. Hunk just stared at them both and shoved more Cheetos into his mouth. “Maybe we should just surrender,” he offered. Both Shiro and Lance were not amused. “They kind of kicked our asses.”

Shiro went to open his mouth, but his eyes dulled at something behind Lance. Turning, Lance found Matt, white flag in hand, as he waved it high above his head. Lance was surrounded by traitors, and life was unfair.

As they left the field, Matt chuckled and said, “Don't be mad, Shiro, I just know you don't know when to admit defeat.”

They walked over to the picnic table they had eaten lunch at before playing, listening to the girls sing “We Are the Champions” the entire way. Judging by the looks from each team, Lance could only assume this was the normal way the paintball games ended. Lance just sat down at the table and ripped off his mask before working on getting out of the rest of his gear.

“You were right, sweetie,” his mother said as she sat down next to him, “that was fun.”

Lance let out a sigh of defeat. This did not go as planned. Things never did, Lance supposed. He wasn't sure why, but he thought Keith might show up to play today. According to Shiro, Keith never came to play paintball with them. Still, Lance had hoped.

“Dude,” Matt said as he put his boot up on the bench to work on getting his gear off, “I know we lost, but you look super bummed.”

Of course, Lance's mother would not help matters. “Is it because your new boyfriend isn't here?”

“Mom!” Lance could already feel his face heating up. Allura and Shiro were both watching him, and it only made Lance's face turn even more red. Great, they were probably going to tell Keith about this. “He's not my boyfriend.”

The amused look from Shiro really did not help. “You know, Lance,” he began, “Keith keeps himself awfully busy.” Allura nodded, a glint in her eyes. “He's not been able to make many friends. Don't tell him I said that. But you should ask him to hangout. He seems to have been enjoying spending time with the three of you.”

“I thought he stayed busy,” Lance mumbled.

“He does,” Allura replied. “However, he has seemed awfully lonely.” She gave Shiro a look with a smirk. Maybe Lance should have cared more about it, but he didn't. “You should try texting him. I'm sure he would be glad to hear from you.”

It was then that the paintball demon decided to weigh in, “Lance doesn't have a lot to do right now. Not when he's not working or in class.”

Allura beamed at Pidge. It was clear they got along too well, and it would end up damning Lance. “Perfect!” Allura said. Shiro just clamped Lance on the shoulder with a grin. Hunk gave him a thumbs up. They were all out to get him. “I'll let Keith know that he should expect to hear from you.”

They all sat around the table while they ate, but Lance mostly turned his phone over and over again in his hand. Every so often he would raise a sandwich up to his mouth, but his eyes never left the screen. He hadn't sent a text and none would come for him if he didn't, but somewhere in his mind Lance hoped Keith might think about him enough to send a text. Maybe he should ask the guy to hangout. No harm in it, right?

He was attractive. He was a good boyfriend. Surely he had caught Keith staring plenty of times. Maybe Keith liked him? Hopefully it wasn't just to stare. Plenty of people thought Lance was cute, sure, but how many relationships had he actually had? Not many. Everyone seemed to have a problem with him. He was too energetic, he was too immature, he was a nerd, he was too self-confident, he cared too much about how he looked, he was too tall, he wasn't white, he was bisexual, and the list could go on.

A long sigh escaped him as Lance finally put the phone down and propped his cheek up against his other palm. What was the point? It probably wouldn't work out anyways. Keith would probably get annoyed with him, or maybe find him too immature. It couldn't be that he was straight, because Lance, Pidge, and Hunk agreed that Keith was entirely not straight. Which was also why Lance liked to tease him, just to see if they were right. And, while Keith did sneak glances every so often and blush around Lance, he seemed too focused elsewhere to really want to give Lance the time.

Well, he did go to the convention after Lance asked him.

“You should text him,” Shiro suddenly said. Lance found the older guy staring at him, a few chips getting tossed back into his mouth. “Keith was feeling pretty down yesterday. He could probably use some company.”

Allura let out a sigh. “He didn't even want to come over for dinner last night.”

Of course, Lance's mother would always seize the moment. “Tell me,” she insisted, leaning across to Shiro, “is your brother single?” Her hand came to rest on Lance's back. “My boy here is single. And I must say that the two of them seem to be very friendly with each other. Lots of glances.”

Shiro smirked, shooting Lance a knowing look. Then he smugly returned his attention to Lance's mother, while her son sunk down in his seat. “He is very much single. And does tend to enjoy the company of the male persuasion.”

“He told me the other night,” Hunk declared. What? Why wouldn't Hunk tell him that? It would help the cause.

Allura shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Keith is going to kill you.” She smacked her boyfriend on the arm. “You sound like you are trying to get Keith a hookup, rather than a date.”

Letting out a grunt, Shiro raised his drink to his mouth and said, “Looks like I, nor Lance, need to worry about it.”

Lance was going to ask what Shiro meant, but then his hand touched where he had put his phone. Emphasis on the word put. Because, as it were, the phone was no longer there. It rested safely—or rather not so safely—in Pidge's grasp. Lance let out a shriek and tried to grab it, but Pidge shot up and away from the bench. Lance fell flat on his face in an attempt to get it back.

By the time Lance finally got Pidge, the damage had been done. She just smirked and dropped the phone back into Lance's hands. “All done. Looks like you have a date for this Friday.” She stepped over Lance with a triumphant smile. “You're welcome, Lance.”

“I- You- How-” Fuck. Lance looked down at his phone. Pidge had asked Keith if they could see a movie on Friday. And, of course, by “they” Pidge had led Keith to believe it was Lance. And Lance might have corrected it, if it weren't for the reply that Keith had sent.

Sure.

It was just one word, but at least it wasn't Keith laughing at Lance for suggesting such a thing. Still, Lance groaned as he sat up. It wasn't worded very well from Pidge, but Pidge had probably meant it that way. Was it a date? Was it not a date? Pidge had only asked Keith to go see a movie with Lance, not if they could go out on Friday night. Just great.

\----------------------------------------------

“I have been here for six hours,” Keith groaned from the desk he worked at from Malmora Publishing when he was there and needed plenty of room and silence. Unfortunately, he wasn't getting the last one. “I do have a deadline, Nyma.”

Nyma was leaned on Keith's desk. Keith, who had already moved his case of pencils, erasers, and charcoal, was now forced to move his mug of coffee. He just hoped there was more, because Keith still had a lot of work and a long night ahead of him. But here Nyma was to distract him.

She hummed and smiled, her head ticking from side to side like the pendulum on a clock. “Just tell me his name. He was such a cutie. And, I must say, he does look an awfully lot like-”

“Yes,” Keith hissed, “thank you, Nyma for your observation. I am trying to work here.”

It was just then that Keith's phone rang. He went to reach for it, but the lack of sleep was not helping. Nyma snatched it up. “Oh, speak of the devil. This must be him.” She pointed the phone towards Keith, and sure enough it was a text from Lance. Keith just massaged his temple and tried to get back to work. Well, until Nyma reminded him that he didn't have a password on his phone. “Looks like he wants to go on a date Friday. How sweet.”

“Nyma!” Keith only managed to fall out of his chair in his attempt to get it back. He let out a groan and rolled onto his back.

Gently, Nyma placed the phone on his chest. “There. All taken care of.” She turned with a smile and began to leave.

Keith grumbled and sat up, reading over the text. Sure enough, Lance had asked him to go see a movie this weekend, but it made no mention of a date. He sighed and locked his phone. Of course Nyma was going to create something out of nothing. Lance was an extrovert, he liked being around people, thrived on it. This didn't make it a date.

Keith got up from the floor and grabbed his mug of coffee, pocketing his phone. He caught up with Nyma in the hallway and said, “That wasn't him asking me out on a date. He just wants to hangout.”

The look Nyma shot him said otherwise. “Sure, keep telling yourself that.” The two stopped at the railing that overlooked the lobby. As a secretary scurried by with a pot of coffee, Keith held his mug out and she refilled it. Nyma was staring down at the lobby. “You know, if you don't put yourself out there, you're going to die alone.”

“You're so comforting.”

“I'm being serious. Dude, you do nothing but work and school. Have you even had time to get laid?” The flush on Keith's cheeks was the only answer she needed. “Thought so.”

Keith took a deep inhale of his coffee and rested his elbows on the metal railing. “I am a little busy, if you haven't noticed.” He shook his head and took a slow sip of his coffee. “I was probably kidding myself anyways when I thought I could do the normal college life. High school was bad as it was, I should have known better. I guess I just don't want to listen.”

“Kolivan and Thace sure seem to share the same thought.”

“Guys, guys!” Both turned as Rolo came darting around the corner and skidded to a halt. He pointed down below. “Check it out, one of the contest winners.”

“Contest?” Keith asked.

“Oh,” Nyma sighed, “just some publicity stuff that Kolivan thought would be a good idea. I think he's winning a ticket to the Voltron convention.”

As he looked down, Keith frowned. Something about the guy looked so familiar. He had long hair and a face that kind of made Keith want to punch him. His clothes and demeanor kind of had this condescending vibe to it. But Keith just couldn't seem to put his finger on it. At least not until...

“Hey, wasn't he at the other convention?” Nyma suddenly said. Keith and Rolo both squinted at the guy, brows furrowed. Nope, didn't seem to ring a bell for Keith. “Yeah. He had that really great Galra cosplay.”

Well fuck. Now the alarm bells were ringing. It sure as hell was the same guy that had tried to hit on Lance at the convention. He knew that irritating face made him want to punch it for some reason. Keith brought the mug of coffee up to his lips and glared. That little shit. Of course he won the contest. Thace appeared in the lobby behind Kolivan, who had come out to greet the stupid winner. Thace spotted them and Keith mouthed to him, “Are you kidding me?” while pointing at the guy that had won.

What was his name again? Lenny? Larry? Something like that. Didn't matter. Why was he even here? If he had come to the publishing studio for winning, the guy had to live semi-close. Then again, the last convention had only been a few hours from here and the guy had gone to that. And if he was willing to do such a great job on his costume, then he would likely have been willing to drive up to collect his prize.

He definitely seemed ecstatic as Kolivan handed him the tickets. “He looks rich,” Nyma droned.

Rolo leaned forward on the railing to look at Keith. “Want me to beat him up in the parking lot?”

“What?” Keith demanded. “No!” This outburst drew the attention of a few people in the lobby. “Why would you even ask that?”

They both had an eyebrow raised at him. “Probably because you've been glaring at him this whole time,” Nyma supplied.

“Oh,” Rolo continued, “did he hit on that new boyfriend of yours?” The grin that hit Nyma's face actually sent a chill down Keith's spine.

Keith just hissed, “He's not my boyfriend!” As they both laughed, Keith turned and went back into his studio to get back to work. If the stupid idiot had won a contest, he was going to be at the other convention. The convention that Keith had promised to go to with Lance, Pidge, and Hunk.

Which meant that Keith might be forced to breathe the same air as that fuckboy again. Maybe he was just agitated from lack of sleep. Surely it wasn't that he was jealous. Nyma would probably tell him that he was. But, then again, Keith was good at not listening.

\----------------------------------------------

“You're not listening.” Ulaz didn't like to ask questions, he preferred to make statements. Rather obvious statements, in Keith's opinion. Ulaz sighed and let his hand that held some papers out in front of him fall to his side. “You have a deadline this weekend, Keith.”

Like Keith said, obvious statements. He let out a groan and peered at Ulaz between his fingers. “I missed class today. I've been here since yesterday morning. I'm running on fumes here.”

Although he did give Keith a sympathetic look, Ulaz said, “You have two months to get ready. We start releasing the first issue of the new season at the Voltron convention.” He started looking over his notes again, looking for anything that needed correcting in Keith's storyboard. “We don't need you falling behind on your work. If you catch up to what we have already, we wouldn't have anything to print soon. You know Kolivan likes you to stay at least five issues ahead by the time a new season rolls out.”

“I'm supposed to go on a- I mean, I am supposed to hangout with a friend tomorrow night.” There was not enough energy in him to look embarrassed for that near slip. Not that Ulaz noticed. They were all just as tired as he was. This was crunch time, the part Keith always hated the most. Normally, he finished Friday evening and immediately crashed afterwards. This time, however, he had other plans. “I'd rather not pass out on my friend.”

That would be a horrible impression. Not that it was a date. Still, Keith didn't imagine Lance would appreciate Keith falling asleep during a movie. At least the beginning of a cycle never hit when finals were going on. Keith would never survive that. As much as he enjoyed the normal college life, there was no way he could maintain his job at its worst and studying for finals. It would have had to have been dropped from his life.

Letting out a long sigh, Keith rubbed at his face. His mug was empty and he was out of junk food to munch on while he worked. “When we're done, would you mind having someone bring me some more coffee... maybe an energy drink or two... and maybe an actual meal?” he mumbled. Ulaz gave a single nod. Keith had other people to touch up his art and duplicate it, print it and things like that, but Keith still had to work up the original pages and maintain the storyboard. “Actually, just ask that they bring the whole pot.”

Letting out a chuckle, Ulaz just said, “I think we could all use a pot of coffee.” He cleared his throats and thumbed through more pages. “I'll let you get back to work, but expect me to come back in a few hours with more updates and corrections.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

As soon as the door closed, Keith let his head fall against the desk with a groan. Frowning, he pulled out his phone from his hoodie pocket and checked it. There were a few texts from Shiro, two from Allura, one from Hunk about an update on his part of the project, and a text from Lance. Keith smiled at the last one. Lance had texted him several days over the last week, but Keith had barely gotten to respond. Some of his responses came hours later, after Keith had endured a severe session of work or one of his sleep comas. He felt a little bad. If, by some miracle, Lance did like him, there was no way Keith could subject Lance to dating with Keith's busy schedule. Between work and school, plus spending time with Shiro and Allura, when would Keith have time to work in a relationship?

A few more hours slowly ticked by, and Keith found himself buried in his work. Not literally, thankfully. But the groan that he let out when Thace walked in gave severe indication that he had done more than what was asked of him today. His agent had his own mug of coffee, and a list of notes tucked under his arm. One look at Keith and he said, “You know what, we can just talk about your edits tomorrow. If you come in early, we should be able to let you off in time for your date.”

Shooting up in his chair, glaring at Thace, Keith growled, “It's not a date! For the last time, stop listening to Nyma.”

The words, however, finally sunk in. Keith slouched and let out another groan. His body was sore and exhausted, but he still needed to get home. “Can you message me the edits? I'll look at them before I fall asleep.”

“No you won't,” Thace chuckled. Keith didn't even bother to argue as he stood up and tried to pack up his things. “But I'll send it to you anyways. Do try to actually eat before you pass out. I take it you are heading over to Shiro's?”

Keith only responded with a grunt of acknowledgment. Shiro and Allura should be home by now. They were supposed to go see a movie with Matt and Pidge, though. As he checked his phone, Keith cursed under his breath. Of course it was dead. He could wait around to charge it, but his body kept screaming at him that it was a terrible idea. He preferred to listen to it right now.

He tucked a few things he wanted to look over and possibly review for changing into his sketchpad and then slid that into his bag. The rest could stay here, far away from Keith as possible for the next few—and Keith did mean very few—hours.

There was a reason Shiro normally offered to drive Keith home after nights like this, and Keith really wished his brother was here now. He was actually surprised not to find him in the parking lot. There were probably a few messages on Keith's phone, and Shiro might think that Keith was going to stay at Malmora tonight to get more work done. It wouldn't be the first time, or even the first time this week.

His body could work on autopilot, though. And that was basically his drive over to Shiro's. The second his car was parked at his brother's apartment, Keith climbed out of the car and yawned as he walked towards the door.

Longer hair!

That was what his new Galra prince needed! Keith quickly dug around in his bag and pulled out his sketch pad. With his other art held behind the pad, Keith did his best to sketch in some faint traces of coming down more to the back, mainly to remind himself to properly fill it in later. But, knowing how his mind was in this state of disarray, he probably would forget before he even fell asleep if he didn't do it now. The door was, thankfully, unlocked.

“Sorry I'm getting here so late,” he called out as he shut the door behind himself and detailed his sketch better now that he had proper light.

Something hit the floor as Keith went to round the corner into the living room. “Keith!” Shiro yelled and Keith looked up.

There had never been a time in Keith's life where he had ever turned such a deathly shade of pale. He felt sick.

Sitting on the couch was Pidge and Matt, both staring at Shiro curiously, after he had apparently shot up and dropped his phone and remote onto the floor. “We texted you,” Allura said through her teeth and forced smile. “We weren't sure if you were going to make it over tonight.”

“You look exhausted, man,” Matt assessed. Pidge was giving him a curious stare as she adjusted her glasses.

“Right,” Keith began. As he tried to stuff his sketchpad into his bag, several sheets slipped and glided to the floor in the middle of the living room. “Dammit.”

“I got you,” Pidge quickly offered, up and off the couch before Keith could even react.

“No that's all right, you don't-”

Too late. Keith had crouched down to pick up the papers, but fell onto his ass when Pidge beat him to it. She smiled and straightened them up, offering them out to him. That same smile slowly melted as she looked at the top drawing. It was meant to be the cover of the first new issue, but Keith was struggling with it. All it had was the remaining paladins and the princess standing around the empty black lion. Keith massaged his temples and screamed internally. He was barely functioning right now, and life decided it was a great time to throw this at him?

This could only end poorly. Pidge was smart, she could surely piece things together. Then she would go home and tell Lance and Hunk about this. Then Lance would show up to their not date tomorrow as some fan, instead of as Keith's friend. And that wasn't what Keith wanted. Keith didn't want friends that only wanted to be around him because of who he was, he didn't want to date someone that was an obsessed fan that mainly wanted to date the author. This was why Keith hid his identity.

Pidge's brow furrowed as Keith finally took the drawings, his head down. “That looks like...”

“An... art project,” offered Allura with a worried glance at Shiro. “Y-Yes, Keith was finishing up on one of his projects, and I think... Didn't you say you loved that graphic novel that Pidge and the others showed you?”

While Keith didn't facepalm, Shiro did. Yet Allura looked so assured of her reply. The important part was that Pidge and Matt did not look convinced at all. Skeptical maybe, but not convinced. Pidge frowned at Keith, who was having a hard time moving.

“Keith?” Pidge finally asked.

What was he supposed to say? “I-”

He could already see the wheels turning in Pidge's head. Well, this was the end of Keith's life as he knew it. Goodbye normalcy, it was nice while it lasted. Maybe, just maybe, Pidge wouldn't go telling the others. Even though they were her best friends? That was so doubtful.

“You have some Voltron art,” Pidge began again. “And I heard you making that strange phone call while we were at that convention. Lance said someone was insistent about reaching you. You told us you have a busy job, on top of school.” It was like Keith could feel her probing inside of his head. This was it. Everything was over. “Do you have an internship at Malmora Publishing?”

Wait... what?

“I...” Keith trailed off and glanced at both Allura and Shiro, they both shrugged. “Yes... Yes, I do.” Well, it wasn't a total lie.

A bomb had gone off inside of Pidge. It was like Christmas morning hit in the blink of an eye. She took hold of Keith's shirt and pulled him closer. “What's it like? Have you met the author? Is he cool? Is he a genius? Is this new change in paladins permanent or temporary? Will we-”

“Pidge,” Shiro chuckled nervously. He slowly managed to work Keith out of Pidge's clutches and sat his brother down on the couch behind both him and Allura. “Since Keith didn't tell you guys this to begin with, you can probably imagine that his bosses don't like him talking about this stuff with anyone.”

Well, part of that was true. Obviously Keith was under contract not to discuss the upcoming issues with anyone—outside of like Allura and Shiro—but Kolivan would give anything if Keith would actually step forward as the author. That was like all he wanted in life. The dull look that Allura was giving Shiro said that she was on the same page as Keith.

Shooting up straight, Pidge pretended to zip her lips. “Your secret is safe from me!” She shot Keith a huge grin. “Not a word.”

“Not even to Lance or Hunk,” Allura interjected. Pidge quickly nodded. Then both women turned to shoot a suspicious look towards Matt. “Nobody can know.”

Matt just shrugged. “I don't even read the comic.” But he leaned back and waved them off. “Nothing to worry about from me. Lance will probably freak when he finds out... if he finds out.”

Lance.

What kind of crappy friend kept a secret like that from his friends? Even worse, what if things did go well with Lance? What if Lance did want to date him? How could Keith live with himself, going into a relationship with a secret like that? Everything would change, though, if Keith told.

Keith buried his face into his hands with a groan. His bag was clutched tightly against himself and Allura sat down to rub his back. This was a nightmare.

Thirty minutes later, Keith found himself in the kitchen with a plate of food and Pidge on the other side of the table. She had yet to say anything, but Keith could tell she was about to explode. Keith stuffed more food into his mouth and motioned for Pidge to talk.

“Okay, so, have you like worked there the entire time we have known you?” she asked with far too much excitement. Keith slowly nodded. “Wow. You know, that explains how you knew what the ending for last season was. I can't believe you get to handle the single greatest graphic novel to ever have existed on a daily basis.”

When he had chewed his food, Keith sat back and stared up at the ceiling. “It's not all it's cracked up to be. I barely have any time to actually have a life. I can't really talk about what I do with other people. And... as I'm starting to see... I probably can't maintain work and school much longer.”

“Not pay enough?”

If she only knew. “No, it pays fine. I just... don't have the time. I missed several classes this week to make sure deadlines were met.” Saying it all out loud actually felt good. He told Shiro and Allura, sure, but actually confessing it to a stranger to his life felt therapeutic. “I'm sure Hunk gets frustrated with me plenty, especially right now when I barely have time to sleep, let alone work on a school project.” He took a slow drink and then looked across at Pidge. “Why didn't you guys try and enter that recent contest?”

“Ah,” Pidge shrugged, “we had already purchased our tickets. We figured it was better to support the person that made the thing we loved the most, rather than get the tickets handed to us.” For a moment, she just studied Keith, analyzing his tired face and the bags under his eyes. “You know, I actually sent you that text the other day from Lance's phone. The one asking you to hangout tomorrow.”

Keith let out a soft chuckle as he put some more food on his fork. “Interesting, because a friend at work sent the reply.”

“Pidge!” Matt called from the hallway. “We need to get going!”

“Right,” Pidge sighed and stood to her feet. She took one final look at Keith. “One more thing. Will the author be at this next convention? I won't tell, just curious. The forums have been all over the place with rumors.”

It was a conflicting moment. What should he say? The truth? A lie? Would the truth hurt anything? Probably not more than it already had. And what was the worst that could come of it? It wasn't like anyone, even Pidge, would be able to tell who the author was. There was no face, not even a real name.

“Yes,” Keith said quietly. It was all that Pidge needed to hear, though. She lit up and bounded away from the table, heading out of Shiro and Allura's place. Keith just sat back in his chair and blew out a long breath. When Allura and Shiro entered the room, he just said, “I really don't feel like talking about it.”

\----------------------------

The movie was great... save for the part where Lance wasn't sure if it was cool to put his arm around Keith or not. Like what was this? Was it meant to be a date? Was it just two friends seeing a movie together? Should Lance ask? Would that make it awkward? There were too many questions and it made Lance's brain hurt.

But Keith said he had enjoyed the movie. It was amazing that he had stayed awake during the movie, though, because Keith looked practically dead on his feet. He had nodded off a single time during the movie. Lance might have woken him up, if it hadn't been for the fact that Keith's head had fallen onto Lance's shoulder. And that would have been perfectly fine if they could have stayed like that, but then there was an explosion in the movie and Keith had startled awake. He probably hadn't even noticed he was on Lance's shoulder.

Ever since the convention, Lance had spent a lot of time thinking about waking up with Keith in bed. Especially about cuddling with Keith in bed, although Lance had not woken up for that part. Keith had already been poking his body when he had woken up. But it was still nice. Then there was the last weekend, when Lance's own mother got in the way of Lance attempting to kiss Keith. He could probably try again tonight, but Lance had yet to work up the courage to do so. The other night on the porch had just felt right... even if certain other parties involved didn't want to respect those signs!

Perhaps he was a little too bitter at his mother.

“So,” Lance began, “you really liked the movie? You won't hurt my feelings if you didn't, I'll just have to disown you from my circle of friends.”

Keith chuckled and it brought a smile to Lance's face. “No, it was good. Sorry for falling asleep that one time. I just... had a very long night... or long week might be the better way of putting it.” He gave a single shrug as they walked down the sidewalk. “Like I said, I was very busy this week.”

Their hands were close. It would be just too easy for Lance to reach over and intertwine their fingers. It would also be too easy for Keith to punch Lance in the jaw.

Keith let out a groan and dug into his pocket to retrieve his phone. The screen had lit up and was vibrating in his hand. Whoever it was, Keith didn't seem eager to talk to, as he just shoved the phone back into his pocket.

“Everything okay?”

Keith looked up at him and blinked a few times. “What? Oh. Yeah. It wasn't important.” A dry chuckle escaped him as he rubbed his neck. “Well, it might be, but it can wait.”

Chuckling, Lance was paying far more attention to Keith than he was where he was going. And that caused him to fall forward. Lance let out a yelp as he stumbled and hit the pavement. Keith chuckled and crouched down next to him. Grinning, Lance said, “Guess I must be falling for you.”

“Oh god. That was just horrible,” Keith groaned, but smiled even still. “Please tell me you don't actually use that line.”

“Depends on if it works or not.”

“I can assure you,” Keith droned as he helped Lance up, “it did not.”

Even though the movie was over, Lance didn't want this to end. He still wished he knew what “this” was, but he was just enjoying Keith's company. He also figured Keith could probably use some more sleep, and he didn't need to be selfish. Keith had said earlier that day that he had slept last night, but he looked like he hadn't slept in days. What was he even doing to keep him so busy?

However, there was one thing he might could do. “So, are you free the rest of this weekend?”

“Uh...” Keith pulled out his phone, probably to look at the calendar. “Well, I mean, I'm kind of pretty busy. Why?”

“Oh.” Lance scratched at his cheek. “Well, Pidge is going to this party that Matt was going to, and invited us along as well. You should come.” He smiled sheepishly at Keith. Those eyes were really pretty. “If you're not too busy, I mean.”

Keith chuckled and pocketed his phone again. “When is it? I'll see if I can make it.”

“Don't overdo yourself, though.”

“I'll be fine, Lance.”

He really didn't look like he would be. But Lance really wanted to be around Keith. Maybe the party would help him work up some courage. Perhaps with some liquid courage. “It's tomorrow night. I know that is short notice, but-”

“I'll be there,” Keith chuckled. He gave Lance a weak smile, but it was enough to make Lance want to melt. Lance just nodded goofily. “I can get some more work done tonight and early tomorrow.” The sound of a car unlocking brought Lance out of his daze. He hadn't even realized they had made it back to Keith's car. It was too soon! “Just text me the details. I can meet you at your place, if that would be easier.”

“Yes!” Lance replied a little too loudly. If Keith drank... he didn't need to drive home. Not being able to drive home would give Lance the opportunity to offer up their place to crash at. The only problem was that he couldn't invite Keith to sleep in his bed under those circumstances. Well, they could cuddle, but Lance still wasn't sure that was the best idea when they might both be drunk. “You can just ride with us to the party. Feel free to crash at our place after.”

Keith laughed again and nodded. “I might.” As he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes met with Lance's. He really needed to stop looking at Lance like that, or Lance might not be able to stop himself from trying something in the back of Keith's car in full view of everyone. “If I get in trouble for missing work the next day, I'll just blame you.”

Before Lance could retaliate, Keith had got in the car and cranked it. His smile might actually kill Lance, but Lance managed to wave back. Now if only his heart would calm down. Why was Keith so cute? And such a great guy? His mother had already approved of him, even though they weren't dating. Maybe Lance should just ask him. There wasn't any harm in that, right? He let out a sigh and kicked at a rock as he walked back to his car. Who was he kidding? If Keith didn't return his feelings, it would change everything between them. Nothing would be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, literally, they weren't around each other but for like two or three pages. And I know I'll get complaints that the date wasn't long enough, but that's kind of the point. Neither is sure if it was a date or not. Next chapter... Now I have plenty planned for that. Again, I'm sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter helped make up for it. If not, maybe the next one will. Let me know what your thoughts were on what went down.
> 
> Oh and the movie was Wonder Woman lol


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! It did take a little longer than I planned to get this chapter out. I just haven't had much energy lately, so I will go ahead and apologize if this chapter feels emotionally dead in some places. I just have barely been functioning. Not to mention I struggled with this chapter in general. Not because I had writers block, but because I couldn't decide directions I wanted to take the chapter in certain places. But I do think it should be a fairly entertaining chapter. I might have had to remind myself what the rating for this fic was. That being said, I do hope you guys enjoy the update.

“Tell me again,” Keith sighed as he watched several hired men wheel his belongings out of his dorm room, “how exactly is moving me into an expensive hotel a compromise for getting an extension on my work?”

Thace, who stood beside Keith in the middle of the dorm hall, seemed very bored as he typed away on his phone. Luckily—or maybe unluckily in some cases—they were doing this fairly early in the day, and most of the guys in his hall seemed to be gone, or at least too occupied in their rooms. An energy drink rested in each of their hands, as neither of them had really slept last night. And then, finally, Keith had cracked around five that morning and demanded something be sorted out. Thace had gone to Kolivan, who had made the demand that Keith move into a hotel for the time being, at least until they could find a more permanent place for him.

As he took a long drink, Thace produced two cards from his pocket. One he handed to Keith, while he put the other back in his pocket. “We can always drop by and make sure you are working this way.”

Of course. Keith let out a sigh. They would probably get or demand a key to Keith's new place whenever they got him one. The best part about the dorm was that Thace didn't want to look like a creeper entering the dorm at weird hours of the day. Still, Keith supposed it wasn't so bad. He already knew the hotel he would be staying at. Thace had taken him by there earlier and let Keith drop off a few things. It was very spacious, something his dorm had been majorly lacking. Now he would have plenty of space to work from his own place. It wasn't like he went around naked even when he was alone, so it wasn't like Keith would majorly suffer from this. It might get slightly annoying, though.

It was just one less part of a normal life that Keith could feel slipping through his fingers.

But who was he kidding, right? Keith gave up normal years ago, he had just been fighting it really slipping away this whole time. And it wasn't like Kolivan had asked for Keith to get on stage at the upcoming convention and talk. He at least respected Keith enough not to do that.

Where the money for this was coming from was beyond Keith, though. Because it didn't seem to be coming out of his pay, and he wasn't sure the publishing company would actually pay for all this.

At least they weren't making Keith move by himself. Kolivan had been nice enough to hire movers for him. Honestly, though, Keith mainly wanted this to hurry up and be over with, so he could take a nap. He had that party to go to tonight, but Keith had found maybe an hour to sleep so far. If it weren't for all the coffee and energy drinks, Keith probably would have been crashed on the floor by now.

Keith's phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. He coughed once and could feel himself gag. It happened sometimes when his body didn't get even remotely close to enough sleep. The text was from Lance and Keith did smile at that, taking a long drink to try and push down the gagging sensation he felt.

Leaning closer, Thace mumbled, “Not to pry in your private affairs...” He was going to anyways. “But if you are getting serious with this guy, you should probably tell him what you do.”

“We aren't dating.”

“No good relationship was built on lies.”

As he typed a response back to Lance asking if he was excited for the party, Keith felt his eye twitch. Why couldn't people accept that there was nothing going on between him and Lance? They were just friends. Lance was a very cute friend, but that was besides the point.

Thace did have a point, though, as much as Keith hated to admit it. Not the relationship part. Well, maybe a little bit of that. Not just with Lance, but with Hunk and Pidge. How could Keith be considered their friend when he was lying to them? But if something did happen with Lance, Keith couldn't just keep going this way. Thace was right, Keith couldn't keep this from them forever.

His phone buzzed again. This time it was just a stupid smiley face from Lance. Keith rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone. Well, maybe a little longer he could. At least until he could think of a way to tell them. If he could think of a way. He was a liar. There was no way around that truth.

Once the last of his things were loaded up, Keith bid farewell to his dorm room and dropped his key off before leaving with Thace. They had already dropped Keith's car off at the hotel, so Keith rode in silence with his agent. Thankfully, Thace let Keith sit in silence during the drive, probably sensing he had a lot on his mind. He did. The new hotel was nice and all, but at least he was within walking distance of Lance, Pidge, and Hunk's place in the dorms. Now he was halfway across the city.

They arrived at the hotel and Keith went up to his new suite with Thace. He stood by the giant window and stared out at the city, while Thace did his best to direct the movers where things probably needed to go. It did have two bedrooms, which the second was going to be used for most of his work. He could also sit in the main room, on the couch, and draw, but having a place to lock all of his things up would be nice.

Not that it really mattered. What was he going to do, bring his friends by this place? Yeah, because an expensive place like this wouldn't be suspicious. Especially to Pidge.

The movers left and Keith was left with Thace and a bunch of boxes that he would have to unpack at some point. Not today, though. Thace shook his head as he watched Keith move from the window. He could already tell what Keith was about to do.

“Well then,” he began, “I'll talk with Kolivan and see about that extension. It'll probably be moved to two weeks from now.” That was fine. “Get some rest, you're starting to look like a zombie.”

With a final dry look, Keith turned towards his bedroom. He didn't even bother to get under the covers, just plopped down on the mattress and closed his eyes. His mind instantly went blank and Keith conked out the next second.

\-------------------------------------

Tight jeans that showed off his ass? Check. Hair? Flawless as always. Smile? Blinding. Phone and keys? Check. Nerves? Down the drain in the shower that Lance had taken not long ago. This was going to end in a disaster. Surely Lance would manage to put his foot in his mouth and ruin the evening, along with whatever hope he had of getting Keith to like him.

When he emerged from the bathroom, Lance found Hunk and Pidge already on the couch, both wearing matching bored expressions. “You took longer than me,” Pidge decreed. “In fact, you took longer than any girl I have ever known.”

Lance just snorted and put on his shoes. “Yeah, well, you don't spend a lot of time in the bathroom to begin with.”

Hunk got up and pocketed his phone. He took Lance by the shoulders and said, “I've got to go pick up Shay. Are you good? You got this, man.”

“Or at least we hope,” Pidge mumbled. Both guys shot her dirty looks.

Choosing to ignore that comment, Hunk pressed on. “I'm fairly certain you stand a good chance with Keith.”

“Bless his poor soul.”

“Pidge!” Hunk finally shouted. “Not helping.” Hunk just patted Lance on the back and headed for the door. “Make sure Lance makes it there on time and doesn't bail.”

“I'm not a child,” Lance whined. Both of his friends gave him looks that said otherwise. He just pouted and crossed his arms, sulking.

Tonight was the party and Lance already felt nauseous. He was fairly certain that Pidge could tell, because she didn't try to mock him anymore after Hunk left. It didn't help that he had not heard from Keith since noon. Maybe he had passed out. Hopefully Keith wouldn't miss the party. That would kind of defeat the purpose of tonight.

“So,” Pidge finally broke the silence, “have you been brushing up on your Voltron trivia for that contest at the convention?”

Lance sighed as he collapsed on the couch and let his arms rest across the back. “I was born ready for Voltron trivia, Pidge.”

“You should ask some questions at the panel.” She was busy now, tinkering from something from one of her tech classes. “I hear the creator might be there, though nobody will probably know him, even if they looked right at him.” Her eyes were down, and the light reflected on her glasses.

Lance's expression dulled. He leaned his head back and pondered at the ceiling for a moment. What if the creator had been to conventions before? What if Lance had met him and didn't even know it? Hopefully he hadn't said anything rude. He just mumbled, “Those are always just rumors.”

Pidge paused briefly and then went back to work. She had a pile of wires and other computer bits that Lance couldn't be bothered to name beside her. “It doesn't have to be. As we all know, nobody knows what he looks like.” She looked up at him then, though her eyes were hidden behind the reflective light from the ceiling in her glasses. “What would you say to him if you did... meet him that is?”

“I...” Lance shut his mouth for a moment. There was a lot he wanted to say to the creator, but surely the author hid his identity so he wouldn't get all that fame and attention. Maybe he hated his fans. That would suck. “I don't know. Not like I'll ever meet him anyways.”

“Never know. Maybe you already have.”

Lance frowned down at his friend, but she paid him no mind. Why was Pidge being so weird tonight? Didn't she know that Lance already had enough on his mind? “Do you think I should try and kiss Keith tonight?”

“I think you should have tried that when your mother was here and interrupted you.”

Shooting up in his seat, Lance focused his wide eyes on Pidge. “How could you possibly have known that?”

Pidge just sighed and placed her project in the middle of her crossed legs. “You looked like a kicked puppy the rest of the night, and it was after Keith left.”

Why did Pidge have to be so observant? Lance still was not sure she still had her soul, or if she made some crossroads deal for her inhuman powers of observation. The only time it got worse was when Pidge pretended to be oblivious and come to find out she was just biding her time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to cash in on things.

The doorbell saved Lance from having to think up a good excuse to that accusation. It was Keith, who was busy typing away on his phone when Lance opened the door. Lance smiled and leaned against the frame, waiting for Keith to actually pay attention. He really needed to find out what Keith did to keep him so busy. They had been friends for a few months now, and Keith still had not said what he did for a job.

“Sorry,” Keith exhaled as he finished and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Are you sure it's cool I leave my car parked here all night?”

Usually when asked a question, an answer was meant to be provided. However, Lance felt a little tongue tied ever since he opened the door. Keith looked nice. Not in a going to a nice restaurant kind of nice, but like he actually put some effort into looking good. Normally Keith seemed too tired to even care what he put on. Lance had seen the guy wear the same shirt two days in a row before. Lance would have wrinkled his nose those times, but he would have been too much of a dick then to do so. Whenever that happened, Keith literally looked like a walking corpse.

Finally, words came to him. “You didn't just walk?” Lance asked.

“Uh,” Keith glanced at his car, “no.”

“All right, cool. Yeah. It's totally fine.” The smile that Keith gave Lance made his heart pound against his chest, demanding to be let out and be able to scream on the highest building nearby that Keith's smile was the most adorable thing. “And you're totally welcome to stay the night. I am curious to see what drunk Keith is like.”

Keith chuckled and stepped around Lance to enter the residence. “We'll see. I might not fight you on that. It's been a pretty long week, after all.”

“Yeah, but at least you saw a great movie last night. And now you're going to a party.” Lance closed the door and walked with Keith back towards the living room. “And the best part was that you spent time with me both occasions.”

“Excuse Lance,” Pidge immediately piped up, “he has a poor understanding of the word 'best.'”

The jab would have hurt more if it hadn't made Keith laugh. Keith did have a bag with him, so it did seem the chances of him staying over were pretty good. “When do we need to leave?”

Pidge checked the phone beside her on the floor and shrugged before standing to her feet. “Whenever. I'm pretty much ready to go, just need to get some shoes.”

With Pidge briefly back in her room, Lance took the opportunity to admire Keith. And it was pretty easy, considering Keith seemed oblivious. Now Lance could even excuse that mullet, after he had seen Keith tie his hair back. Sadly, he did not have it tied back tonight. He did have on some nice fitting jeans and a red and black button up that Lance found very tempting to undo.

He could only imagine undoing each of those buttons and then parting the fabric of the shirt, and then slowly sliding the shirt off Keith's shoulders. Too bad Keith never came out of the bathroom shirtless when they were at the hotel. And the time at the pool had been too short to really admire. And, well, maybe Lance had been a little too stupid and distracted back then to properly look. After the shirt came off, though, Lance could always move on to the jeans and stick his hand down-

“Ready!” Pidge stood in the doorway again, looking far too pleased with herself.

Thankfully, the party wasn't that far away and they could walk. It made it easier for them when the party was over and alcohol might be consumed. Well, Pidge might not. Then again, she might, and she probably would still beat any of them in a drinking contest.

During the walk, Pidge did get some more information out of Keith that Lance wasn't fully aware of. He had known that Keith was an art major, but apparently he also took a lot of English and writing classes. His father had married Shiro's father when Keith was in high school. Lance had tried to ask what Keith did for a job after Pidge asked about his courses, but Pidge just elbowed him in the ribs for some reason. He was just trying to learn more about Keith!

They arrived at the party and went inside the house, where they were nearly blasted backwards from the insanely loud music. Out back was a pool, which Lance did not think was probably the best idea with all the alcohol. But several of the guests didn't seem to agree, as they went swinging into it with a bottle of beer in hand.

Pidge managed to find her brother early on and ran over to him. Lance and Keith had stepped outside and stood on the porch, watching as several people dove into the pool and another group of people did shots nearby. “So,” Lance yelled, leaning into Keith's ear so that he could hear, “how do you feel about dancing?” He grinned as he watched Keith's face contort into discomfort. Well there was an answer. Still, Lance began to slowly move his body in a dance, which Keith rolled his eyes at.

“I'm not much of a dancer!” Keith yelled back. He had to lean so close for Lance to hear that Lance was actually able to smell the body wash that Keith had used. “But I'm sure there are plenty of drunk people here that would suffice for that desire.”

Rolling his eyes, Lance grabbed Keith by the wrist and led him into the kitchen. He grabbed some spare drinks and moved to a different room. Smirking, he offered one of the drinks to Keith. “Maybe these will help.”

He stared at it for several long seconds, but Keith downed it after watching Lance do the same. Both of their faces twisted as the alcohol hit them. Way too strong.

“Not as strong as your mom's drinks,” Keith said.

Lance chuckled and said, “Wow, you already have a sense of humor. Maybe you need to drink more.”

“I'm sure you'd like that.”

There was such a grin on Lance's face. Keith made this too easy. He leaned into Keith's ear and said, “Depends on what type of drunk you are.” The flush that followed was exactly the response that Lance had been hoping for.

As some time passed, Keith and Lance shared one more drink before going to find the others. Hunk arrived with Shay, and Shiro and Allura even stopped by. Keith gave his brother a dull look and said, “I could have just came with you if you were going to drop in.”

Allura nudged Shiro with a smile on her face. “Yes,” Shiro said slowly, eyeing his girlfriend, “but there's no telling how long we are going to be here. Besides, you already made plans to come with Lance, Pidge, and Hunk.”

They ended up sitting in one of the rooms on an L-shaped couch, sipping on some drinks. Well, Lance had been, but he needed a refill. He might have ended up a little too close to Keith while they were all talking, because he realized their shoulders and legs were touching when he got up.

Two girls were running the keg when Lance got back to the kitchen. They were both cute and they both smiled at Lance as he held out his drink for them to refill. Sorority girls, most likely. One of them even had her sorority logo on her shirt.

“You're cute,” one bluntly said.

Her friend's eyes went wide and she quickly said, “Ignore her.”

“Or don't.”

Lance chuckled and took a sip. “It's fine. You two aren't bored in here with that? Seems kind of dull to do at a party.”

“Well,” the second one offered, “it does have some perks. You did drop by. So we get to meet cute boys.”

The other one was downing her drink, watching Lance as she did. Well it was very obvious that they wanted him. Or, at the very least, just wanted a guy tonight. Possibly together. Either way, Lance wasn't about to make the same mistake as he did with the pool.

“I'm flattered.” He took the nozzle from the second girl and topped his drink back off. “But I'm with all my friends tonight, and I would rather not be rude.”

The second girl was on him. By that, Lance meant her hand was up his shirt and feeling his stomach. She bit down on her lip and said, “You and I can always make it quick. Or tell them you found someone from one of your classes.”

“Uh, well, one of the people with me... I'm kind of interested in.”

“Well she doesn't have to know,” the second girl breathed into Lance's ear and then nibbled on his lobe.

Lance slowly took a step back and straightened his shirt back out. “Actually, it's kind of a he. I'm bi.”

The first girl just shrugged and poured herself another drink. “Shouldn't that mean that you'd just want it more?”

Oh hell no. Even if he wasn't trying to get with Keith, Lance would have lost any interest in these two and the conversation immediately. Lance didn't even bother dignifying them with a response. He just took his drink and turned around to walk away. Why did everyone have to be so stupid when it came to bisexuality. Lance was a flirt, but he was a flirt that wanted a committed relationship. Which Keith seemed like a great choice for that role. Keith did not seem like the cheating type at all.

On the way back, Lance found Keith leaned against the wall with a guy talking to him. Seemed more like a jock, and did not give off anything other than a straight vibe at all to Lance. Yet he clearly seemed to be interested in Keith, judging by the way he was leaning into Keith and had his hand pressed to the wall by Keith's shoulder.

It did not seem like Keith minded, or at least he seemed oblivious to this guy's interest in him. Lance came up beside Keith and leaned on the guy's shoulder, taking a sip of his beer. “What's up?” he asked.

“Oh,” Keith quickly glanced at Lance, stopping in their conversation, “I was just on the way to the bathroom, and Sendak here stopped me. We have the same art professor.”

The guy, Sendak, did not seem that thrilled with Lance's arrival. Then again, his face just seemed to have a natural stern look to it. It was not like Lance did not understand that the guy was trying to get in Keith's pants. It did not mean that Lance was just gonna ignore it happening. Well, he couldn't stop Keith if Keith wanted it to happen, but tonight probably was not the best night. Not when alcohol was involved.

“So do you think you could give me some tutoring lessons on my art history stuff. I'm not very good with it.” Sendak scratched the back of his head, trying to keep his attention on Keith, and not on the guy that was leaned against Keith. “I thought this would be an easy class, but I'm not very good with art stuff, and I really don't want to fail. And Professor Coran speaks very highly of you.”

“Uh...” Keith trailed off for a moment, eyeing the door behind Sendak. Lance's lips tilted up as he could only assume that was the bathroom, and he just noticed the constant shifting of Keith's weight. “Well, I really don't have a lot of free time.”

“I wouldn't be any trouble at all.”

“I barely have time for a project I'm having to work on in another class. Sorry, I just don't have time to tutor.”

To try and help matters along, Lance slung an arm around Keith's shoulder. Keith, who seemed too focused on getting to the bathroom, did not notice. Sendak did. He narrowed his eyes at Lance, but said nothing. It managed to do the trick and Sendak just nodded, swiping a thumb across his lips as he walked off.

“Hold this,” Keith quickly mumbled and handed Lance his drink. He opened the bathroom door for only a split second before he slammed it shut and put his back to it, face now instantly red. “I might need to find a different bathroom.”

Lance chuckled and said, “Come on, I'm sure there's one upstairs.”

They did find another bathroom upstairs. This one only had two people making out in it, which Lance quickly shooed away. Lance stood outside the door and waited for Keith. He could not decide the best course of action for making a move tonight. If he waited for Keith to get too drunk, it kind of defeated the purpose of asking anything.

When Keith emerged, he let out a long breath and took his drink back from Lance. As they walked back to their friends, Lance decided to just finish off the rest of his drink in one chug. He might have felt a little light headed for a few seconds, nearly stumbling down the stairs and Keith had to steady him.

They found Shay and Allura in a political discussion when they returned, and both seemed to be in fiery agreement on whatever they were frantically discussing. Shiro and Hunk were also talking, but quieted down when Keith and Lance sat back down. They got a long look from Shiro, but if he was trying to conduct a silent conversation with his brother, it went unnoticed by Keith.

Matt and Pidge arrived with shots for everyone. It was exactly what Lance needed. And by that, he meant that he didn't need it at all. He wound up propped up against Keith's shoulder. Keith smelled really good, and the little skin contact they made told Lance that Keith's skin was very soft. He wanted to feel more of it.

The affectionate nuzzling finally caught Keith's attention and he chuckled. “I think you reached your limit.”

“M'fine,” was all Lance could manage to get out.

He didn't move Lance, though, and that was all that really mattered. Lance tapped his fingers across Keith's arm as the owner of said armed watched him out of the corner of his eye. When he reached Keith's hand, he ran traced a finger across the skin there and smiled. Keith did have soft skin. Why had he never noticed this before? He squinted his eyes and lifted a small part of Keith's shirt up and poked at his side, causing the other boy to jump a little. He was soft there. Lance smiled and began tracing circles in the palm of Keith's hand.

He wrote the same thing he had been writing on the bottom of Keith's coffee cups for months now. Yet, for some reason, Keith had yet to look on the bottom of any of those coffee cups. It would have saved a lot of time if he had.

Keith moved his fingers and then Lance blinked. Their fingers were intertwined. They were holding hands. Lance's face suddenly felt hot. Why was nobody freaking out about this? Keith was holding his hand! Yet everyone carried on with the conversation, which Lance had totally not paid attention to, as the two of them held hands in the small space between their bodies.

“So, Lance,” Allura said, pulling Lance out of his haze. He sat up more, but didn't let go of Keith's hand. It did not go unnoticed by him that Allura's eyes did dip down to look at them holding hands. The corner of her mouth tilted up, but she stayed on topic. “Your mother was quite interesting. I do hope you'll have her come up and visit more. We would love to play paintball with her again. Maybe this time Keith will decided to join.”

“Uh...” Keith trailed off, “will I be on Shiro's team, or the winning team?”

“Hey!” Shiro glared at his brother, who just shrugged.

Allura kept her focus on Lance. “And what about the rest of your family?”

Taking a deep breath, Lance tapped his index finger against Keith's knuckle as he listed off his family. “Well there's my mom and dad. Then I have an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother. My oldest sister is married and has a son, who turned two back over the summer.”

Allura clasped her hands together and smiled at him. “Aw! That sounds wonderful. Holidays must be marvelous.” Her hand was placed against her chest, while her other reached out for Shiro's. “My mother died when I was little, and my father passed away shortly before I met Shiro. Keith, Shiro, and his mom are always nice enough to let me come stay with them during the holidays.”

Wait... Lance's brain was turning a little slow after the drinks. That family seemed like an odd number. He squinted and his eyes darted from side to side several times. Math was not his friend tonight. Pidge and Hunk both seemed to catch on, because they both gave Keith a concerned look, who said nothing. Maybe it would hit Lance after the alcohol wore off.

“Keith!” Shay decided to exclaim, startling Lance out of his concentration. “I hear you are going to the Voltron convention. That's wonderful news! I will be off that whole weekend, so I can spend more time with you guys at this one.” She seemed very pleased with herself as she announced, “I even touched up my Princess Farla costume.”

Keith instantly flushed at the look that Allura gave him, but then glared at her. He cleared his throat and turned back to Shay. “That's great. I'm sure you'll look amazing.”

Pidge stared at Keith very strangely, but she always had that look when she was analyzing things. Shay just flushed and waved off the compliment. “Please, you are too kind. I also made Hunk a paladin outfit!”

This made both Pidge and Lance startle and yell, “What?”

“No fair,” Pidge continued. “I want a cosplay!”

Shay just smiled and leaned against Hunk. “I made him the black paladin, because I think Farla and Ryou would be such a cute couple.”

Shiro went into a coughing fit and Allura had to hit him on the back. “I'm sure they would make such a great couple,” she agreed. Shiro shot his brother a dead look.

Unfortunately, Lance could feel the alcohol catching up to him. He squeezed Keith's hand and leaned up, whispering, “Can you help me go find some water and food? I think I had too much to drink.”

Keith's eyes darted across to Shiro and Allura and then quickly nodded. He got up and helped Lance do the same. Wobbling, Lance had a dopey smile on his face. Pidge finally caught sight of their hands and mouthed to Lance that they would talk later, then shot him a thumbs up. He flipped her off as Keith helped him out of the room.

Keith sat down his drink when they entered the kitchen and helped Lance pick out some food on a plate. Lance might have been thinking with an alcohol-filled brain, because everything sounded amazing. Thankfully, Keith did not get everything Lance asked for. He kept it light and to things that would help combat the alcohol better. He also handed Lance a glass of water, which Lance instantly downed and then refilled.

Instead of going back, the two sat in the kitchen for a while and let Lance eat. Keith watched him with his cheek propped up by his hand. This was not exactly how Lance had envisioned the night. He had expected Keith to drink and loosen up, and Lance could find out what kind of drunk Keith was. But Keith seemed to hold his alcohol much better than Lance did. It sucked.

It was about halfway through the plate that Lance spotted something just in the peripherals of his vision. A hand dropped something into Keith's drink, while Keith was sat facing Lance. Lance dropped the food he as about to eat and sat up straight, eyes locking on to the person that had just put something in Keith's drink.

Sendak stood there behind Keith, talking to some girl. There wasn't even a moment of hesitation. His hearing dulled and his mind went blank. And the next thing that Lance knew, his hand hurt and Sendak had stumbled into the nearby wall. As he wiped blood from his split lip, Sendak glared at Lance.

“Don't fucking spike my friend's drink!” Lance screamed in anger.

The unfortunate thing was that the alcohol was still in Lance's system. And what had seemed like an amazing idea at the time, came right back to hit Lance in the face. And so did Sendak's fist. Lance hit the floor, taking a tray of food with him as he went. As Sendak lunged for him, though, Lance brought his foot up and brought it straight to Sendak's balls. The jock gasped for breath and toppled over. The girl quickly rushed to Sendak's side and Keith quickly got Lance to his feet.

“You're dead, asshole!” Sendak yelled as Keith dragged Lance out of the room.

They didn't even go back to their friends. Keith just quickly asked, “Do you have your keys on you?” And Lance just stared blankly at him for a long time, then nodded. Keith sighed. “Great. We are getting out of here then. I don't need you getting yourself killed because you want to play a white knight.”

“H'was tryin' to ruvefee you.”

Keith chuckled as he slung Lance's arm around his shoulder and got him out of the house. They scurried down the sidewalk until they were a good enough distance away. It really did not make Lance's tummy feel good. He groaned and massaged his jaw. That hit might have done more to sober him up than the food or water.

“Thank you,” Keith whispered as they slowed down. He pulled out his phone and Lance watched as he typed out a message to Pidge, letting her know that they headed back to their place for the night. It was not two seconds before Pidge sent him a winky face back. Keith just shook his head and slipped the phone back in his pocket. “Like I'm going to take advantage of the drunk guy.”

“Hey!” Lance whined. “M'perfectly willing.” His face instantly flushed when Keith arched a brow at him.

Chuckling, Keith just shook his head and said, “Let's just get you home and see if we need to doctor that up.”

He did need a little doctoring as it turned out. Lance let out a hiss as Keith dabbed an alcohol soaked cotton ball against his lip. Keith was crouched down between Lance's legs, while the latter sat on the couch. Lance pouted as Keith pulled away.

“You'll be fine,” Keith said. He was still very close. “You really didn't have to do that. You could have just told me that it was spiked.”

“He didn't need to get away with it.”

“Yeah, and you don't need your face broken.”

Lance just sighed as he stared at Keith's close face, already having forgotten what they were talking about. He had mostly sobered up now. The alcohol-dipped cotton ball was the source of that. Lance wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth tightly shut. If he opened his mouth, he knew that whatever he said would ruin this moment. And the look that was going on between them right now, clearly told Lance that his chances were fairly high tonight.

Unfortunately, Keith slowly stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don't suppose you have a spare pillow I could borrow? Maybe a blanket?” He frowned as he stared off at nothing. “I might have forgotten to grab that stuff. It was a busy day today.”

Come on, Lance. This was it. Just play the cards right, it was that easy. This was his window. All he had to do was reach out and seize it. And he should probably do that before Pidge got home and shattered whatever this was between Keith and Lance.

As he got up and led Keith back to his room, Lance ran over what he might could say. He was just scared. Lance picked up a pillow and turned to face Keith. “You know, you don't have to sleep on the couch. My bed is much more comfy. Plus, it's not like we haven't shared a bed already.”

Lance mentally winced as soon as the words left his mouth. He had probably screwed that up. But he kept the lazy smirk on his face and waited for Keith to respond.

Keith eyed the pillow for a moment and then took it. Lance's heart plummeted. He had screwed up! Why couldn't Lance say the right thing. Why did he have to be so stupid? Why couldn't-

Keith put the pillow down on the bed and then sat down. “I guess that's fair.” He narrowed his gaze and poked Lance's chest. “We're not having sex.”

Lance held his hands up innocently. Keith eyed him for a moment longer and then left the room to retrieve his bag. Lance let out a long sigh of relief when he did, followed by a victory fist pump. Keith went straight for the bathroom, which gave Lance more time to think. He also went ahead and got more undressed. He did leave himself in a shirt and underwear. The last one he thought over for a bit, unsure of if he should put more on. Would Keith be okay with sleeping with him like this? Maybe it wasn't enough.

He froze when he found Keith in the doorway. Keith silently dropped his bag by the door and then plopped down on the bed. A very weird and embarrassing noise came out of Lance's throat, because Keith was in even less clothing than he was. He only wished that he had paid more attention to Keith's ass when he walked by in those boxer-briefs.

“I-I'm going to go brush my... uh, t-teeth,” Lance squeaked. He got to the bathroom and cleared his throat.

He had not planned this far in advance. What was he supposed to do? What was allowed? Obviously Keith had said no sex? But did all of this mean that maybe there was hope for something to happen between them? Since Keith had decided he was only going to sleep in his underwear, Lance removed his shirt.

There was absolutely no alcohol left in his system by the time that Lance left the bathroom. Seeing Keith nearly naked was a very sobering experience. The unfortunate part was that Keith was already under the covers when Lance got back. Not that it technically mattered, since he was about to be under those covers as well. Alone. With Keith. In the bed.

Lance quickly locked the door behind him to make sure that Pidge didn't come home and ruin anything.

As Lance climbed in next to Keith—since Keith decided he would rather leave Lance with the outside of the bed and probably try to push Lance off in the middle of the night—Keith handed Lance the remote to the TV and the controller of his PS4. “Find something to watch,” Keith mumbled. “I'm not ready to sleep.”

Who said they had to sleep? Nope. Lance was perfectly content with being awake. In bed. Here. With Keith. Nearly naked Keith. Nope. Awake sounded great. Very great. In fact, it was the best thing ever.

“Do you like anime?”

Keith snorted and rested his chin on Lance's bare shoulder. “Of course I like anime. I mean that's kind of where I got-” Lance frowned at Keith when he suddenly got very quiet. “Never mind. I'm cool with whatever you think is good. I just might judge you for it.”

“Ha. Like your taste could possibly be better than mine.”

They actually took a few minutes to agree on one to watch. But, when they did, Lance was happy. Partly because it was a good anime, and partly because it meant he could actually move on to cuddling with Keith. Which no time was wasted in doing.

He slid under the covers more and Keith actually wrapped arms around Lance. With his back to Keith's chest, Lance sighed with how warm Keith actually was. He would be great to have during the winter. Lance's head was angled so that Keith could see better, tucked partially under Keith's cheek.

It was around the fourth episode that both of them started to drift off. Lance felt Keith's body go lax against him. Lance let out a groan and rolled his body to face Keith. He whispered, “Keith,” and poked the boy in the stomach. Keith actually had a nice body. He seemed like such a recluse, though. Lance wondered when he found time to exercise with his constantly busy schedule.

Then again, maybe that busy schedule and not feeding himself properly might also contribute to this. Lance might have pulled back the covers a little to get a better look. He might have trailed his fingers down Keith's side. He was indeed soft. That also caused Keith to jerk in his sleep. A lopsided smile formed on Lance's face.

Reaching out, Lance pulled Keith closer, so that their bodies were touching. Keith groaned in his sleep and blinked his eyes open. “Wh-what?” he asked groggily.

“Sorry,” Lance whispered.

Keith rubbed his eyes and yawned. “S'okay.” Fucking hell, Keith was too cute sometimes.

What if Keith went to sleep and then things were different tomorrow? Tonight was nice. Things seemed to be going well. Maybe he could take one more risk. Lance reached out and moved some of the hair from Keith's face.

“Keith,” he whispered again. Keith blinked his eyes open again and took a second to focus on Lance's face. There noses were basically touching. “Can I kiss you?”

The response wasn't vocal. Instead, Keith reached behind Lance, put his hand on the back of Lance's head, and pulled Lance closer to him. Lance tilted his head as he was pulled forward. Lance's hand came to rest in the center of Keith's chest as their lips met.

Fireworks exploded behind Lance's eyes. Keith moved his hands down to Lance's waist and pulled Lance on top of him. Lance rested his hands on each side of Keith and slid his tongue into Keith's mouth. Definitely worth the risk. One of Keith's hands rubbed at Lance's back, the other slipped just barely into the elastic band of Lance's underwear.

When they separated, Lance stayed on top of Keith. Keith blinked and whispered, “We shouldn't have done that?”

Shit. Maybe not a good idea. “Do you... Do you want me to stop?”

Keith shook his head and kissed Lance again. “I said we shouldn't, not that I don't want to.”

This time, Lance moved to kiss Keith. He rolled over and pulled Keith with him. Once he had Keith in his lap, he sat up and wrapped his arms around Keith, moving down to kiss his neck. He got a little venturous and squeezed Keith's very, very nice ass, which Keith moaned at. Well, maybe not as good as his, but Keith sure did have a nice one.

Keith's words from earlier did raise the alarm in Lance's mind. No sex. He really didn't want to overstep things. So, per Keith's request, Lance pulled back. He kissed along Keith's neck and then to his shoulder before placing a final kiss back on his lips.

“We should get some sleep,” he whispered. Keith nodded, but stayed in Lance's lap. Lance wanted very badly to take a firm grip on the underwear that Keith had on and yank them down. But he didn't.

Keith's hands on Lance's torso were like fire to the touch. And Keith's ass pressed right against Lance's... Well, Keith probably could tell what he was doing to Lance. And Lance didn't mind at all.

“You're right,” Keith finally whispered. He leaned in and got one more long kiss before climbing off Lance. They repositioned themselves to cuddle again, this time with two erections. Because, as Keith had felt Lance's a moment ago, Lance now felt Keith's. “Maybe next time. But we can talk about that in the morning.”

Lance beamed at that. At least Keith wanted to discuss things, and he said next time. Which meant that whatever this was that was going on between them, Keith had some interest in making sure it continued. And that was okay with Lance.

Humming in response, Lance turned his head and got one more kiss from Keith. “Goodnight,” he mumbled. Keith kissed the tip of his ear in response. Lance smiled as he closed his eyes. Tonight definitely turned out far better than Lance had expected. Hopefully the morning would be just as good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was actually surprised by how much I let Lance narrate. Honestly, it just kind of happened. The party didn't feel right coming from Keith's perspective. Although, the parts where they were talking at the party were a little strange to write from the unknowing Lance's perspective. Like I said, I did have to remind myself the rating, because I almost got carried away with a smut scene without meaning to. They were going to have sex. And I was just like noooooooooo. Next chapter will probably pick up in the morning and then do a small time jump. I'm still shooting for 10 chapters for this, but I might make it 11 or 12 depending on how the next few chapters go. And I will be away from this fic for a bit. I have another fic I haven't written in like 2 months, so that needs my attention. But if any of you want to follow me on tumblr, my name is xsonofhadesx on there. I reblog a lot of klance art. And I'm so thankful for the new season coming out Friday. Hopefully they will bless us. I will refrain the best I can from using that stuff in Keith's graphic novel on here, or at least keep it vague. So I don't spoil it for anyone that might not have seen it whenever I post again. I mean, that might be a month from now, so I expect you all to have watched. I am going to go, though. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to leave me a review.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll start by apologizing that this chapter is shorter than the last couple of ones. Not much, though. I really tried to upload this like yesterday and the day before, but I've been so drained and tired lately. I did settle on a way I wanted to resolve the big issue of the story. I know most people in the States are starting back school now. So, no matter where you are, if you are going back to school, I'm sorry and I hope you have a good time. I also hope your summer was good. My car decided to act up when I was in the middle of really needing to find a job. So I have been doing nothing besides playing Warframe, writing, and watching Madam Secretary on Netflix. Bless Blake Moran, his beautiful face, and his marvelous sass. Now then, on with the chapter!

If there was one thing that Keith prided himself in, it was how to hold his liquor and seem sober. He could thank Shiro, two bottles of vodka, and a long weekend senior year for that. The problem always came the next morning, like a banging drum inside his head. Keith groaned and rolled onto his side. He was quickly met by warm skin, Lance mumbling in his sleep about Christmas, and an arm being wrapped around him.

Keith pulled back and propped himself up, squinting down at the boy he had shared a bed with. Again. Oh God, Keith thought to himself. How was it that sober him and drunk him had two different outlooks on what worked best for Keith? At least they didn't have sex.

He peeled back the covers and looked down at himself. Unable to help himself, Keith let out a few chuckles and brought his knees up to his chest. Not that he was going to complain about the sight next to him. He had seen Lance mostly undressed before, but the close look at him now was something that looked like art. How was it possible for anyone to look that good this early in the morning?

Suddenly, Lance groaned and stretched his arms above his head. Keith smiled a little and ran some fingers through Lance's hair. He really couldn't help himself. This was so stupid, though. Abort! Mayday! Turn back! His brain kept screaming at him as Lance opened his eyes.

“Morning,” Lance mumbled groggily, smiling as he looked up at Keith.

Keith could feel his heart pounding in his chest. It was like his heart and his brain could not work together anymore and both wanted different things. But what was he supposed to do now? Keith couldn't turn back. How badly would that screw up his friendship with Lance? So, what, was he just supposed to let this go forward? And tell Lance? That would probably destroy things one way or the other. Either Lance would take it too well, or he would get upset that Keith had been lying to him this whole time.

Lance sat up, the covers falling off his chest. Keith screamed internally, his face flushing. “Everything okay?” Lance asked as he rubbed his eye.

“Yeah,” Keith managed to get out. “Sorry, just have a bit of a hangover.”

At least that was the truth.

Lance stretched again, but this time he used it as a means to wrap his arms around Keith's neck and pull him closer. Keith melted into the kiss. As it happened, it was like feeling his world start to crumble around him. No. It was already cracked. Lance was just the hammer to bring it all crashing down.

As he pulled back, Keith quietly said, “Lance, I need to tell you something...”

Unfortunately, Lance was already jumping out of bed. “Hunk makes the best hangover breakfasts. I'm sure he can whip something up.” Lance slipped some cotton shorts on and reached for the door, turning back to blink at Keith when he realized Keith was still sitting there. “I'm sorry, what were you about to say?”

Not now. They could talk later. Keith could find the right way to tell Lance. So, for now, Keith just smiled and grabbed his shirt and pants. “Nothing. Uh, that sounds great.”

Thankfully, Hunk was already one step ahead of them. They both heard sizzling coming from the kitchen as they approached. Hunk was moving around preparing breakfast. Pidge, on the other hand, was face down on the table. Lance just smirked and ruffled her hair as he sat down. “How are you feeling this morning, Little Miss Sunshine?” he asked much louder than necessary.

“No,” was all the response they got from Pidge.

Keith sat down on the other side of Lance and shook his head with a chuckle. This did draw the attention of Pidge, who jolted up and fixed the two of them with a look. “Interesting how you are here, Keith. I didn't see you on the couch this morning or when we came home last night.”

“Interesting how you were holding hands last night,” Hunk called from the stove. Pidge bumped fists with him.

Lance just casually shrugged as coffee was placed in front of him by Hunk. “Don't know what you're talking about.” Everyone else at the table, including Keith, gave him a dry look.

“Yeah, okay,” Keith mumbled as he picked up and sipped his own coffee. “I'm sure they totally believe that.”

“Okay then, wise guy, why don't you answer?”

The words nearly caused Keith to choke on his coffee. Now all eyes were on him. He could tell from the look from Lance that he was also waiting for a real answer to the question. What were they? Realistically, Keith didn't really have time for a relationship. He barely managed time to see Shiro and Allura. Then again, he has been spending a good bit of time with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge lately. Maybe it could work?

Still...

What was he supposed to do about his secret? “Oh, hey, yeah, let's totally date. Oh, by the way, I'm the author of Voltron. No big deal, though.” Totally normal. Keith was sure that would go over real well. He bided his time as he thought this over in his head, drinking his coffee as slowly as possible to keep his mouth busy.

But they still waited. This was such a disaster. Why did he wait so long to tell them anything? “Um,” Keith said quietly, “could we talk about that in private.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Lance's shoulders slumped. Keith quickly reached out from him, earning a smirk from Pidge. “Not a bad talk. I just think it should be more, you know, private.”

Lance nodded. “Gotcha.” He leaned towards Pidge, squinting his eyes at his friends. “Hear that, Pidge? No gossip for you. Ha!”

“Suck it, Lance,” Pidge replied as food was put in front of her.

The rest of breakfast was actually nice. Normal. They talked about school, upcoming holiday plans, and briefly about the Voltron convention. Pidge shot him a brief glance on the last topic, to which Keith slouched in his seat. Why had he been so careless? Everything nearly got blown. Not that he had many options now. He just... didn't want them to find out the wrong way. Not that he really felt ready for them to find out now.

When they got back to Lance's room after breakfast, Lance shut the door with a smirk. “So... if this is going to be a good talk, do you wanna take a shower...” his cheeks very quickly took on color, “with me?”

Keith chuckled and ran a hand through his hair as he sat down on the bed. The action drew a pout from Lance, but Keith really didn't mean it to sound like an insult. “Yeah, sure,” Keith quietly added to reassure Lance things were fine. Lance instantly perked up and began to tug his shirt off. Kind of made things a little... difficult... to focus. Lance's body had to of been sculpted. “You know, maybe we could talk with clothes on first.”

Blinking, Lance paused in removing his shorts. Or maybe clothes off were better, a voice in the back of Keith's mind pointed out. Keith quickly chucked his own shirt off and stood up. Before they could remove their underwear, Lance poked his head out the door and checked the hall.

It must have been safe, because he grabbed Keith's hand and jerked him in the direction of the bathroom. They almost made it safely, when Pidge's voice called from the other end of the hall, “Don't use up all the hot water!” Lance shut the door. “And don't be nasty! Other people use that shower!”

Naked.

Lance was naked. Very, very naked. And all Keith could do was stand there and gawk. Okay, Lance had a great ass in shorts and underwear, but Keith had to admit it looked better without anything covering it. He might have stared a little too long there as Lance adjusted the water temperature.

Once Lance was in the shower, Keith remembered that they were both supposed to be in there and quickly removed his underwear to step in after Lance. Lance smirked and pulled Keith up against him, sealing their lips together. Keith quickly found his back pressed to the wall and his hands found their way to Lance's waist, possibly pulling Lance closer without Keith really meaning to. Or maybe he did?

God, Lance was hot while wet. Lance's fingers tangled in Keith's hair and tugged. Keith, letting out a moan, tilted his head to the side and gripped Lance's back as Lance kissed along his neck. He might have gotten a little too into it. Keith soon found his legs wobbling; Lance still with his mouth to Keith's neck.

“Whoa,” Keith breathed out. “Don't leave a hickey.”

Pulling back, Lance bit down on his lips and cringed. “Um, I might have overdone it just a little.” Keith cursed and did his best to look at his neck, which was entirely impossible without a mirror. “It's barely noticeable. A shirt can hide it. Sorry, won't happen again.”

Ketih leaned back against the wall and sighed. “It's fine. As long as it's not completely visible while I'm dressed.” His fingers touched at the tender spot on his neck. “I've actually never had a hickey before.”

“Really?”

“Well, I've never actually had a boyfriend... or had sex.”

To Keith's surprise, Lance didn't respond. He smirked and leaned forward, capturing Keith's lips again. Even more surprising was the fact that Lance was doing an amazing job at keeping his hands above Keith's waist, all things considered.

He stole some glances here and there as they showered, but Lance made no move to try and do anything beyond kissing. Since they were naked, it was rather quite clear to Keith that Lance was more than happy to be in the shower together, though. Then again, the same could be said for Keith.

When they changed places to let Lance wash his hair, Keith tried to take the opportunity to have their talk. The lack of clothes really did not help. Partially because it was distracting—and Lance certainly had a very good sized distraction—but also because Keith felt exposed. Probably because he was.

“Lance,” Keith began. Lance stopped humming to himself and smiled at Keith. “So, uh, about that talk.” Keith licked his lips and let his eyes wander as he searched for the right words. They wandered too far south.

Lance chuckled and reached out to tilt Keith's chin up. “My eyes are up here, pretty boy.”

“'Pretty boy?'” Keith scoffed.

A grin was plastered across Lance's face. He reached and grabbed Keith by the hips. “Aw, but Keef, you are pretty.”

With a mildly annoyed look, Keith shoved Lance's face away before the other could kiss him. “You can kiss my ass.”

The smirk only grew. “Okay,” Lance said far too cheerfully.” Keith shoved him again. Lance chuckled and began to rinse out his hair. “Okay, what's up?”

“So, um...” There was like a massive hole that had just opened up inside of Keith's stomach, and his courage plummeted down it. He couldn't do this! Alarms were blaring in his head. What if something went wrong and they broke up? Would Lance tell his secret? Keith wasn't ready to be seen by the world. “Um, just that I'm fairly busy. I guess that's pretty obvious.” He cleared his throat as Lance blinked at him. “Maybe we could just take things a little slow?”

“So...” Lance said slowly, “you don't want to date?”

“Not right now. Not yet. I just... need some time.” That was an understatement. Keith needed time to figure out how to break all this news to Lance. Because, if they dated, Keith wanted Lance to know first, and he wanted Lance to hear it from him. He just didn't want the spotlight and he didn't want to be looked at differently. “We can still go on dates and stuff. I would just like to wait on a relationship.”

There was a pause. A very, very heavy pause that felt like it dragged on through many ages. But it finally broke when a smile returned to Lance's face. “I'm totally cool with that. But, you know, how are my chances of it turning into a relationship.”

“Very high.”

Just until Keith could figure out what to say.

“Good.” Lance kissed Keith briefly and Keith felt sick. He was a liar and a coward. He didn't deserve Lance. “I can wait. And, in the meantime, I can demonstrate my expert wooing skills.”

Keith rolled his eyes and got out of the shower, grabbing for a towel. He yelped when a hand smacked his ass. The towel was on his head to dry his hair. When he turned to snap at Lance, two hands grabbed the ends of the towel and pulled Keith closer. Keith's eyes closed as their lips met, both of their heads now hidden by the towel.

Keith was so fucked.

\--------------------------------

As the weeks went by, Keith felt that his reasoning to Lance for them not being able to date right now was an understatement. In the near month that had passed, Keith had literally only seen Lance twice. And one of those times was only quickly dropping off his work for Hunk one night. The frustrating part was that Keith was mainly at a roadblock. Well, writing block. He was well past the amount of issues he needed before they dropped the new season of graphic novels, but Keith literally had no idea what to do with the second half of the season.

With all of his work scattered throughout his extra bedroom and the living room, Keith had abandoned it all for the night.

If there was one good thing about this godforsaken expensive hotel room, it was the bath. Normally, Keith was strictly all showers. This, however, was like a godsend. Five minutes in it and he already felt his muscles relaxing. He sat there, tablet pressed to the top of his knees, as he listened to the London Symphony Orchestra. He had seen them once, when he was little. It was perhaps one of the few good memories he had with his mother. But, then again, everything had seemed much better back then. Easier. Nicer. Happier. Together.

As he sat the tablet aside and submerged himself further into the bubbles and water, Keith could not help but think that Lance would find a way to ruin this serene moment if he were here. Instead of classical, it would probably be the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, or _Barbie Girl_ blaring in Keith's hotel suite.

His phone vibrated and Keith reached over to grab it. It was from Lance.

_Come see me! I'm bored :(_

Keith smiled and slid a little down in the tub, holding the phone above his head as he typed. Lance was such a child. As much as he wanted to, though, Keith didn't have time to spare to hangout.

_Can't. I'm probably pulling an all nighter. Probably gonna try and find some coffee soon._

The reply came back before Keith could even put the phone down.

_Go to my work. I know the guy that's working. Can probably pull a few strings, get you a free coffee._

Keith chuckled as he sat up and put his chin on his knees. Lance was persistent. Keith knew full well who the “guy that was working” was. Still, it would be nice to get out of this damn prison and breath some fresh air. He checked the time on his phone before he put it down. The place would probably close in the next hour. If he hurried and left, he could probably make it.

After drying off, Keith threw on a hoodie, then pulled on his underwear from earlier and some jogging pants. With the end of October on them, Keith was surprised Lance had not asked him to a Halloween party yet. Not that he really wanted to go or dress up. It had more to do with the person asking him.

Of course he was right.

As soon as he walked in the coffee shop, Keith rolled his eyes at the grinning Lance behind the counter. “Stuck with the closing shift?” he asked as he approached the counter.

Lance let out a dramatic groan and flung his upper body on the counter. Keith pat his head as he looked over the menu. Not that he really had to bother. The second he opened his mouth, Lance pulled out a cup of coffee and slid it across the counter. He smirked knowingly as he watched Keith take it.

“How-?”

“Well you parked right there at the front,” Lance replied. “Plus I know your favorite coffee. You order it enough.” Keith rolled his eyes as he took a deep inhale. Lance leaned on the counter. The look he gave Keith made him blush. It wouldn't have been so bad if they were alone, but there were a few patrons in the store. “So, I am closing soon. Think you could stick around until then?”

It was already going to be a late night. “I should probably-”

“Please?” Lance pouted. “I haven't seen you in forever.”

Keith chuckled as he sipped his coffee and said, “Needy much?”

There was such affection in Lance's eyes as he stared back at Keith that Keith was forced to blush again. Lance smirked and raised his fingers as he said, “Maybe a little bit. I might get a little attached in relationships.” He wiped his hands on his apron and chuckled nervously. “I mean, Pidge would probably point out that I haven't had many relationships.” His eyes bulged. “N-Not that this is a relationship.”

“Yet,” Keith smirked. Lance blushed. “Fine, fine. I'll stay until closing. But I really can't stay out too late tonight.”

While Lance waited out the rest of his shift, Keith splayed himself out across one of the chairs, reading the textbook he had brought with him to study. Every time Keith looked over at Lance, he got a smile and a wave. He rolled his eyes. Was Lance so bored that he was just going to stand there and gawk at Keith?

There weren't that many more customers that came in, but Keith did get to witness Lance deal with them with his dazzling smile. He chuckled and took another sip of his coffee, chancing a glance out the window. He froze.

What. Was That?

Where it normally read “The beverage you are about to drink is very hot,” Lance had crossed out most of the words. The only ones to remain changed it to “You are very hot.” Keith felt himself cringe and then facepalm. Why was he interested in such an idiot?

With a newly red face, Keith glared over at Lance, who wore an innocent smile as he stared back at Keith. He looked so damn proud of himself that Keith wanted to smack him. “H-How long have these messages been on here?” Keith asked.

“Around the time we first met,” Lance replied as he walked over to get ready to lock the door for closing. “Would you mind waiting outside while I do the register? Sorry, company policy.”

As he went, Keith made sure the punch Lance's shoulder. He almost made it out the door, but Lance grabbed him and pulled him back to peck him on the cheek. Keith watched Lance shut and lock the door behind him, catching sight of his flustered face in the glass door. Damn Lance and his stupid cheesy moves.

Lance finally emerged from the coffee shop around fifteen minutes later, having dealt with the money in the cash register, a quick sweep of the store, and turning off all the lights. He was now on his phone, though. Unfortunately, Keith did not understand a word of Spanish, so everything Lance said was over his head. Probably talking to someone in his family.

Keith should probably learn the language at some point, especially if he was going to be serious about dating Lance eventually. The only languages that Keith knew were English, Chinese, and Japanese. The last two were to spite his mother and not learn Korean like she wanted.

Whatever Lance was talking about, he flushed and briefly glanced over at Keith before rapidly replying in a higher pitched voice than normal. He finally hung up and cleared his throat. “Sorry, that was my mom. She was asking some things about Thanksgiving. Mainly making sure I'm still coming home.” He took a pause and then continued. “So... what will your plans be for Thanksgiving?”

“Uh, probably go with Allura and Shiro to see Shiro's mom.”

Lance nodded and Keith smiled. Was Lance's mom asking if Lance was bringing Keith home. Funny how she knew they were dating before either of them even knew. Well, would be dating. Eventually.

“Can I ask you something?” Lance asked as they reached Keith's car. “You just said Shiro's mom. You didn't mention your dad. I was rather drunk at the party, but you did talk about it then as well.” His weight shifted as his head tilted to the side. “Did something happen to your dad?”

No point in lying. He already had one secret to tell Lance and he didn't need another. Keith just didn't like talking about it very much. “He... passed away when I was in high school.”

“Oh.” Lance's eyes widened and blinked. “I'm sorry, Keith.” He didn't even let Keith respond before Keith found himself wrapped in a hug, his arms awkwardly at Lance's sides.

“Can I ask you something now?” Keith mumbled into Lance's shoulder.

“Sure.”

“Why haven't you invited me to a Halloween party?”

He felt Lance chuckle and then pulled back. Lance shrugged. “You're usually busy. I didn't want to pressure you and take up more of your time. But, if you are free, you're welcome to join Pidge, Hunk, and myself that night. We are going to a party on campus.”

Keith sighed. Of course Lance had to be thoughtful. He just wished that Lance wasn't right. Since Halloween was the night before the convention, Keith was going to be very busy that night. Keith kicked at the ground and said, “I am busy.”

“I don't know what has been keeping you so busy,” Lance pouted, “but I hate it.

If he only knew. Keith couldn't help but chuckle, and Lance stared at him strangely. It was only funny to him. To think that Lance just said he hated that Keith was working on Voltron without even knowing it.

\-----------------------------------------

Halloween snuck up on Keith faster than expected. Was he at one of the many parties going on? No. Where was he? Handing in a paper that was due tomorrow, because he had to miss and go to the Voltron convention. Nothing could possibly go wrong there. Fortunately, his professor was very laid back and tended to like him.

“You'll be happy to know,” began Professor Coran as Keith handed him the paper. Keith smiled as he twisted his unnecessarily long mustache. “That you received very high marks on your last painting.” He placed the paper down on his desk and nodded. “I do hope you plan on sticking with it. You could be a real artist some day.”

Keith chuckled a bit. If only he knew. “Thank you. I hope my paper does just as well.”

As Keith went for the door, Coran continued. “I do hope you plan on enjoying yourself tonight, Keith. You normally seem so stressed and exhausted. It's always good to have fun, I say.” He was twisting his mustache again, already lost in thought. “Back in my day, I used to head to the discos every weekend.” Then, causing Keith to cringe, Coran busted a move like he was in Saturday Night Fever. “I was quite the ladies man back in my day.”

Composing himself and clearing his throat, hoping Coran didn't notice the dull look on his face, Keith chuckled. “I'm sure you were, Professor.” He nodded awkwardly. “I'm actually seeing someone right now. I think he's at one of the parties around campus.”

Coran seemed too caught up in his own memories. “Yes, yes. Have a good night, Keith.” The man bounced on his heels as Keith shook his head fondly and left.

No sooner that Keith had gotten out of the building, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He sighed and dug it out, groaning internally as he read Thace's name on the screen. Never a moment's rest. “Yes, Thace?”

“Keith-” Thace began.

Kolivan cut him off. “Are you sure we can't talk you into doing a panel on Saturday? The fans would love it.” Of course they had to try again. “You could do the contest. Or, at the very least, set up in a booth to sign autographs. No talking required.”

With people out at parties, Keith had to dodge between students running around and laughing. “It's not really about not wanting to get up in front of people, Kolivan. I'm not shy. I just... don't want the fame and publicity.” He glared as some stupid frat guy nearly knocked him off the sidewalk in a hurry to get to some keg party. Togas were not original or interesting Halloween costumes. Then again, the pale white girl next to him was dressed like a Native American, so it wasn't like he should have expected much in the terms of human decency. “Again, I do hope that nobody is going to act like they know me at the convention.”

“Fine, fine,” Kolivan sighed. “I did go ahead and mark your pass with a special mark on the back. Just in case you need to talk to Thace or anyone. It allows you to go where you please.”

“Yeah,” mumbled Keith, shoving his way through a group of people. He didn't plan on using that special VIP access. “I'll be fine. I just want to go and enjoy myself.”

There was a grunt on the phone, then came Thace's voice after a door shut. “Sorry about that, Keith. I was about to call you and then he insisted to let him talk first.”

“It's fine. No big deal.”

“You will be fine tomorrow?” Thace was silent until Keith grunted in acknowledgment. “Good. Anything you need before I don't know you tomorrow?”

Keith snorted. “You could probably tell me how my hotel and apartment is getting paid for.” He found himself in the middle of the quad, with a bunch of people raving to music and quite a few people having climbed up statues to dance on them.

“Oh that was...” The words faded from Keith's ears as he caught sight of a familiar person. Lance to be specific. Very much of Lance. Legs. Lots of leg. The phone began to slip out of Keith's hand as he stared at a—glow stick necklace on and parts of his body covered in neon blue paint—raving Lance, dressed in a police uniform that was far too small and tight for regulation. But there he was, plastic shades and cap on, the first few buttons of his shirt undone, and shorts that barely covered his thighs and clung to his ass like a second skin. Then Thace's voice broke through the haze. “Keith?”

“Uh...” was all Keith could get out for several long seconds. “What? Sorry. I'm gonna have to go. Someone to do... I mean something to do! Something... I've got to... got to take care of.” He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as his words caught up with his brain. “Bye, Thace!”

As Keith approached, the trio of friends finally noticed him. “Hey!” Lance said with a huge smile. “Didn't expect to see you until tomorrow.”

“Come to have a party?” Hunk asked. He was dressed as a pirate.

“Uh...” Keith was still too caught up on Lance, who had a shit eating grin on his face. Clearly he knew that Keith appreciated the outfit. “Just handing in a paper.”

Lance tilted his head to the side and studied Keith. “What are you supposed to be?”

Glancing down at himself, Keith said, “A college student? Honestly, I was just on campus to drop of the paper. Was planning on going back and getting sleep.”

Pidge—dressed like an astronaut—was studying him. “'On campus?'” Oh. “I thought you lived in the dorms?”

“I did...” Keith said slowly, looking at all three of them. “It's complicated. I'm in a hotel right now, until I can find a real apartment.”

“Dude,” Hunk slapped his arm, “you could have asked to stay with us. We wouldn't have minded.”

“Except for the noises we probably would have heard from Lance's room,” Pidge muttered.

Keith chuckled and Lance grew red. “I don't know what you're talking about,” Lance huffed, crossing his arms.

“Do you want us to pick you up at the hotel tomorrow?” Hunk asked. “We could check it out. I'm intrigued to know what kind of conditions the mysterious Keith Kogane lives in.”

Keith rolled his eyes and said, “No, I can drop by your place.”

“Nonsense.” Lance slung his arm around Keith and grinned. Then he leaned in and whispered, “You should have invited me over.”

His phone was buzzing again. Keith sighed and looked down at it. This time it was Kolivan calling directly. Great. “Fine. Uh, yeah, fine. Whatever.” He looked up and found concerned faces. “Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that. Yeah, just swing by the hotel. I gotta go.” He was already hovering his thumb to accept the call as he began to walk. “I'll text Lance the place later tonight.”

Before he could get far, but after he had picked up the call, Lance caught up to him. “Hey, just gonna leave without a proper goodbye?”

“Uh, hang on one second,” Keith said to Kolvian. He just didn't need to say a name. How much Lance knew about Malmora Publishing escaped Keith. “Sorry. I guess I was in a bit of a hurry.”

Leaning forward, Lance pecked Keith on the lips. “You could just stay over tonight, since we are leaving early.” Lance had his hands in his pocket—which Keith was not sure how he pulled off with how tight they were—and bounced on his heels. “I don't mind leaving the party early.”

“Um...” He really needed to get some more work done. “I... guess.”

“Keith,” Kolivan's voice said sternly on the phone, “you're supposed to have two more chapters drafted and rough sketched ready to be picked up by tomorrow.”

A heavy sigh escaped Keith. Why couldn't he just catch a break? “Can I do that Sunday night?” he asked. Lance cocked his head in confusion. Keith just motioned to the phone. “I promise I'll have it all done, plus three more, come Monday morning. I'll stay up all night to get it done if I have to.”

“Keith...” A long sigh came from Kolivan. “Is this boy really so important?”

Keith glanced at Lance and said, “Yes.”

“Fine. Just... have it handed in to me Monday afternoon.” Wow, better than Keith had even asked for. “I'll see you at the convention. Or, I guess, won't see you.”

“Thank you so much!” Keith hung up the phone with a smile. “Sorry about that,” he said to Lance. “That was my boss.”

“I kind of figured.” Lance bounced again with a smirk. “So, can I tag along to help you pack for the weekend?”

“Sure.” The words left his mouth and Keith immediately began to internally scream. Why was he an idiot? What was the state of his suite? Was his work locked in the spare room? As far as he could remember. He had been on the couch, doing a few sketches around dinner, but he had been cautious enough after the Pidge incident to put it all up when he was heading out. “I'll try to make it quick.”

When they pulled up, Lance's jaw dropped. “Dude!” he exclaimed, flailing his arms. “This place has to be super expensive.” Okay, maybe Keith wasn't that smart. His stuff might have been put up, but the hotel was like the best in the city. “Why were you living in a shitty dorm again?”

“Hey!” Keith happened to have liked his old dorm.

The walk into the hotel and the ride up the elevator was filled with a gawking Lance. His jaw probably hit the floor when Keith opened his suite. “You have this room... all to yourself?” Lance asked. Keith just nodded. “Okay, now I'm really upset you didn't invite me over. This place is so cool!” He plopped down on the couch, hands behind his head, with a big sigh and a smile on his face. Why did it seem like Lance was made for this life more than Keith was?

Keith chuckled and put his keys down. “It's okay. I'm not-” He bit his tongue. Saying he wasn't paying for it only left the door open for more questions. “I'll only be a moment.”

Perhaps he really shouldn't have left Lance alone. It just proved that Keith didn't always use his head. It was a fault that Shiro always pointed out. He was gone maybe five or ten minutes, when he came back and found Lance flipping through a small stack of Voltron issues. Keith nearly dropped the suitcase.

“Ready?” Lance casually asked. He looked over his shoulder at Keith. “I see you did really like Voltron after all. I'm happy you decided to pick up more copies.” He picked one up. “I'm actually impressed. This one is like really hard to find now.”

That was the final issue of the first season of the graphic novel. It was when Voltron truly exploded, and Lance was right. Keith had honestly been shocked by how fast people had bought up the issue. Thace had dropped them all off the other day, at Keith's request, so Keith could make sure he didn't mess up on some plot details for the next series of issues.

“I would have let you borrow my copies, though,” Lance continued.

“Lance,” Keith sighed. He needed to tell him. Lying wasn't helping. Omission of truth was still lying! “I need to tell you something...”

“How far are you?”

Keith pursed his lips. Lance looked so happy, standing there, holding that issue of Voltron. Keith forced himself to smile. “I'm caught up.”

It could wait.

This weekend.

Keith could tell him after the convention.

He just... didn't want to ruin this weekend for Lance... or for himself. Keith didn't know what was going to happen after Lance knew. He just... wanted to keep that storm bottled for as long as possible. He didn't want things to change.

“Keith?” Lance's voice broke Keith out of his thoughts. “Are you okay? You look upset.”

“I'm fine.” Taking in a deep breath, Keith threw on a better smile. “Come on, let's get you back to your place. I'm sure you can't be comfortable in that outfit.”

Smirking, Lance pulled Keith up against him. “Trying to get me out of these clothes? Mr. Kogane, I'm fairly certain that is an offense. I might have to cuff you.”

Keith chuckled and shoved at Lance's face. “You're such a dork. Let's go.”

Keith paused as he shut the door to his suite, staring at it for what felt like the last time. How much would change when he opened this door again? He had to tell Lance, though. Keith couldn't keep hiding this secret. Sooner or later, the truth would come out. One way or another, nothing was going to be the same when Keith came home Sunday night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Keith. I guess it can make up for how little he got last time? Mainly it was because I couldn't think of anything to write that needed to be told through Lance's PoV. I think I've settled on 11 chapters? Next chapter is entirely the convention. So two chapters should follow the convention. At most, the fic will probably be 12 chapters. I might have to fit a third chapter in depending on how things go in the next few. So if you picked up on the line in the chapter, Keith is Korean here. Or half... or like a fourth? I am using Acxa as his mother, because she fucking looks similar in the face and I'm pretty sure she is going to turn out to be his mother. Point is that she isn't full Galra, so I was transitioning that over. Just saw some really good Korean Keith art the last few days and I needed to write him as such.
> 
> So no real spoilers from season 3 this chapter. Besides me just stating that a new character is Keith's mom here. It hasn't been made canon in the show yet, if you haven't seen it. Just my guess. But next chapter will most likely contain spoilers from season 3, as it will be talked about at the convention. So, if you haven't seen it by next update, you've been warned. I'll also put a note in the beginning to remind people. Actually, spoilers ahead for my thoughts.
> 
> But season 3. Damn I loved it so much. I did call the change of the paladins, I even put it in the fic. I called it from season 1 technically, but I also called it at the end of season 2. Mainly because I watched the original and this is the order of paladins. I don't think they will change back after they find Shiro. I'm not really convinced this is the real one. Or, at the very least, he's brainwashed. I think I recall that from the original. But I don't think Keith will step down as the black paladin, and so on with Lance and Allura. I have theories on Shiro as well. A few. But I will keep those to myself for now. But bless them for all the Klance moments they gave us this season.
> 
> Okay that's all for my ranting about what's to come for the show. As I said, next chapter is the convention. I'm expecting it to take up the entire chapter, and could turn out to be a long one. We'll see. But I think that's all I wanted to say. Feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what your thoughts on the chapter was. Not exactly sure when I'll get the next chapter out. Might be a little bit. I've got to do some work on my book and stuff, but hopefully it won't be more than a month at most. Until next time!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! Which might not be terribly long for some of you when it comes to waiting on updates, but I usually write fast. I try to take only like 2-4 days to write a chapter. I typically write fast. I just struggled with this chapter. I've had an enormous amount of stress on my shoulders lately. So it's been a little hard to get my mind focused on writing. Then I finally made myself sit down and write the chapter, and I just could not get more than like two or three paragraphs a day for like a week. Then I adjusted to writing in the morning and it went by much faster. But I do apologize for the wait. There are a few details in this chapter from season 3 of Voltron, so just be warned.

There were times that Keith was glad to be right. This was not one of those times. With a towel draped over his head, he stared dully in the mirror as “Spice Up Your Life” blared in the bathroom. Who was the perpetrator of this obscenely loud music? The guy in the shower just to the left of Keith, who currently has trouble remembering why he has an interest in him. Lance paid him no mind, dancing along to the music while washing off his body.

Not that it was entirely bad. Thanks to the clear shower curtain, Keith did get to watch Lance's perky butt move along to the music while he brushed his teeth. It was just a mystery how Lance could even have such energy this early in the morning. Shay had just arrived when Keith and Lance woke up. She was probably helping Hunk prepare breakfast and load things into the van that she borrowed from her parents for this trip.

“How do you have energy before coffee?” Keith grumbled as Lance stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Lance came up behind him, wrapped his arms around Keith's waist, and placed his chin on Keith's shoulder. “Don't pretend like you didn't enjoy the show.” His smirk only grew as he stared at Keith in the mirror. “Don't worry, I'll do an encore tomorrow morning.”

This was going to be a long weekend.

The two emerged from the bathroom fully clothed about five minutes later and they both made their way to the kitchen, where food was already being served. “Good morning to both of you,” Shay greeted them, setting down two plates loaded with food. Lance wasted no time in stuffing his face.

Keith retrieved his life blood, which Pidge had loaded with a double shot of espresso. Bless her. She gave Keith a knowing smile as he sat down, already drinking deep from her own cup. There was no way Keith could make it through this early morning without this coffee. It was a blessing from above. Mainly it was to help with the car ride.

After breakfast, they all got their luggage and finished loading everything into the van. Then they were off. Keith, Lance, and Pidge sat in the back, while Hunk drove and Shay worked as navigator. Lance, thankfully, let Keith sit by the window. He wasn't extremely claustrophobic, but there were times that he felt uncomfortable in tight spaces. Lance did, however, sit right up against Keith with his head on Keith's shoulder and earbuds in his ears. Pidge passed out against the other window about fifteen minutes into the drive. Like Keith, she clearly wasn't a morning person. Keith rested his own head against the window, then shut his eyes and sighed. Right before he drifted off, he felt Lance lace their fingers together. Maybe things would work out fine this weekend after all.

By the time Keith woke up, it looked to be early afternoon. He rubbed his eyes and looked to the clock on the front dash. It was just a little before noon. He groaned and fell back against his seat. The others had woken up, deep in discussion.

“So,” Hunk said with a grin in the mirror at Lance, “did you remember to bring your love letters?”

Lance's face went instantly flush as he peered over at the barely awake Keith. “They aren't love letters. It's just fan mail.”

“What's going on?” Keith asked with a yawn.

Lance swatted at Hunk, who batted the hands away effortlessly. “Lance wrote the author of Voltron a few letters over the last few weeks. He's wrote a few in the past,” Hunk explained. Keith's brow furrowed. He wondered if he had ever read any letters from Lance and just had not remembered them. Probably, considering his fan mail usually was piled in his studio room at Malmora. He really did try to read it all, but there was just so much! “Did you remember to kiss it before sealing it in an envelope?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Lance let out a dramatic huff. “For the last time, they aren't love letters. Besides, it's not like I get to hand them to him in person. He never comes to conventions.”

“You never know,” Pidge chimed in, not even looking up from her phone, “there's always a first time for everything.” Her eyes flicked across the car and Keith's body tensed on instinct. Did... Did Pidge know? It wasn't like he could ask. Could he?

Thankfully, Keith's phone buzzed and he used it as a distraction to take his attention away from the unnerving gaze of Pidge. The bad part was that it was from work. Thace got asked to ask Keith to host the trivia contest and give out an award. Keith sighed and quickly typed his reply back, letting Thace know that he still stood by his decision. He knew that he was essentially signing Thace up to do the contest himself, but Keith had no desire to come public under any circumstances. Maybe they could get Nyma to do it.

Keith glanced at Lance.

On second thought, he didn't want Nyma to do it. There was no way the idiot next to him in the car wouldn't sign up for that stupid trivia contest, and he didn't want Nyma able to get her nails into Lance. He knew she wouldn't rat him out, but it wouldn't stop her from trying to find a way to get Lance to talk about whatever it was that was going on between him and Keith.

Staring at his phone again, Keith groaned. They still had another hour and a half to get to their destination. He was going to go crazy. He didn't want to look at Pidge. He hadn't brought any homework, and he definitely couldn't do any work in the car. Thankfully, Lance offered him an earbud and they settled in to watch videos on Lance's phone.

\-----------------------------------

“Let's get going!” Lance exclaimed with a fist in the air. The rest of the group stared at him dully.

“Lance,” Pidge sighed, “we just got checked in to our hotel. Can we at least get our stuff up to the rooms first? Why are you in such a hurry?”

` Lance slipped an arm around Pidge's shoulders. “Because, my dearest Pidge, they are unveiling the new Voltron card game today, and I want to see if I can get any promo cards.”

Pidge's eyes went wide. “No way!” she was now beaming with as much excitement as Lance. Shay and Keith both sighed as all three of the others rambled at such a fast rate that Keith couldn't even decipher the words for a while. Pidge took a step towards the door, finger pointed into the air. “To the convention.”

Keith grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt. “Wait,” Shay said calmly. “Rooms first, then we can all get going.” She patted Hunk on the chest as she they began to walk to the car. “Plus, the two of us need to get changed.”

Hunk sighed and mumbled to Lance, “I wanted to be the Yellow Paladin.”

“I know you did, buddy,” Lance whispered back.

As they got their stuff up to their rooms, Keith contemplated seeing that Lance got the entire Voltron card collection. Was that too much? Probably too much. Should he stop his friends from purchasing any of them? He hadn't had the chance to divulge the situation yet. Although, he currently had reason to believe that Pidge did not buy his story about being an artist at Malmora, but instead knew the truth. How much merchandise would be at the point of overwhelming, though? Maybe he could resort to all this if Lance responded in a way that Keith feared to the news.

Their rooms were a little nicer than the ones from the last convention. Definitely a nicer view. Lance wasted no time in cupping Keith's face and locking their lips together the second he kicked the door closed behind them. Lance was definitely the affectionate type. Not that Keith could really complain. It was just... new.

Unfortunately, the second they finished and Lance dropped his bags on the bed, he was already out the door before Keith could even attempt to get a word in. Keith sighed and followed after him. Maybe they could talk later tonight.

\--------------------------------------

Amazing.

Everything was just simply amazing. There was even a giant replica of Voltron on display! Posters and artwork were up all over the place. And there was so much to buy! Lance, Pidge, and Hunk had already bought tons of packs of the new cards. Keith, the downer, suggested that they wait and maybe get them later, claiming they were probably inflated in price. Please. He just didn't understand the need to have them.

The convention also had a booth of Voltron art by the author himself, which Lance bought one or two drawings. He had ignored the groans from Keith. Why had he brought mullet again? Lance had already added about thirty new photos to his phone of him with several cosplayers. This place was heaven for Lance's nerd self.

Why couldn't this just be his home?

Well it was now. Lance was going to sign away his end of the lease and take up residence in this wonderful place now. He could die happy. Life had meaning. Nothing could ruin his mood.

“I worry that your face is going to stick like that,” Keith mumbled as he stood beside Lance, who had been enthralled at all the Voltron merchandise before him at this booth. And Keith was loaded down with three full bags of stuff that Lance had already bought and had volunteered Keith to carry. Lance was just blessed that his parents had let him buy what he wanted, under the condition that it was both his birthday and Christmas presents. “How much more stuff do you need?”

Lance, without looking away from the treasure trove of glorious goods, said, “All of it, Keith. All of it.”

“Okay, but you're going to have to start carrying your own shit.”

Lance smirked and darted his eyes over to Keith. “I thought that was what boyfriends were for?” This brought a nice color to Keith's cheeks. He opened his mouth, but Lance waved him off with a smirk. “Yes, yes. I know. We aren't dating... yet.”

“Yet.”

“Yet.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but smiled a little and let Lance go back to browsing.

The day was going well, at least until Lance and Keith managed to come across someone that they had met at the last convention. Among a small crowd of people, dressed like he was last time, was that dude that had hit on Lance. Larry? Lenny? Laurence? Something like that. Only this time he had a girl by his side that looked like she could be a linebacker. Lance came to a stop and stared. Damn. She could break him in half with only one arm.

But there the other guy was, trying to enthrall the group of people with his words. “And I was just lucky enough to be chosen to get these free tickets for me and my friend here,” he said with a flip of his hair over his shoulder. Both Keith and Lance groaned. “I got to go inside Malmora Publishing and everything. The author himself handed me the tickets.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Bullshit,” Keith coughed.

It was loud enough to be heard, and the giant woman behind... Louis? Whatever his name was. The giant woman behind the guy that tried to have as good of a hair game as Lance pushed forward and shoved a finger into Keith's chest.

“You calling Lotor here a liar, asshat?” she growled. Lotor right. That was the name.

The guy stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Now, now, Zethrid, it's fine if they don't want to believe me.” He then turned his attention to Lance and Keith and squinted at them. “Haven't we met before?” Lotor tapped a finger to his chin and then snapped his fingers. “Yes, you were the cute guy at the other convention.”

That was directed at Lance. Lance replied, “And my boyfriend.” He motioned to Keith, who just flipped the guy off.

Lotor smirked. “I see both of our friends are a little aggressive.” As he said this, Keith and Zethrid were glaring each other down. Lotor lifted his ticket and fanned himself. “But, as you can see, I clearly have an in with the author of Voltron and the people that publish him.”

Keith snorted and said, “I don't think the author would like you very much.”

“And how would you know?” Zethrid hissed, balling her fist. Keith ignored her the aggression.

But Keith did stay silent for a moment, almost contemplating something. Lance frowned at him. Then Keith just shrugged. “Just a hunch.”

“Yes, well,” Lotor began, “unless the author or someone is around that can say otherwise, I don't find any validity in your statement.”

The guy was going to call that the end of it and walk off, gloating in his seeming victory, but Keith glanced around for a second and walked about thirty feet over to where Thace, the guy that had done a panel at the last convention and worked for Malmora, was talking on his phone. And Keith walked straight up to him, said a few words, and dragged him back over. The security guy next to Thace didn't even react.

“Hi. Yes,” Keith said, motioning for Lotor to come back. Lotor blinked and raised a brow, but walked back over with Zethrid. “This guy works for Malmora. Why don't we ask him?”

Lotor eyed the guy up and Lance could practically see the color drain from his face beneath the paint. Thace freed his arm from Keith's grasp and cleared his throat. “Yes... I do,” he said, eyeing Keith irritably, “random stranger.” Keith rolled his eyes. “Why have I been dragged over here?”

Keith motioned to Lotor. “This guy says he has it in with Malmora Publishing and apparently is good friends with the author of Voltron.”

Lotor raised a finger. “I didn't use the words 'good friend.'”

Thace's eyes roamed between Lotor and Keith. They finally settled on Keith, where he narrowed his gaze and the two stared each other down, almost like a silent conversation. Thace finally sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I'm sorry, sir, but it is common knowledge that no one outside of Malmora Publishing has met our esteemed... and at times annoying... author. I do recall you won the contest. And, while the author was at the facility that day...” he frowned at Keith, “he was not present with myself and our CEO.” Then he turned to Keith and said, “Sir, it's not nice to come up to strangers and drag them over to settle a disagreement. Especially when that stranger is busy covering work that should be done by the person writing this graphic novel.”

Keith nodded and said, “You're right. You should definitely tell them you deserve a raise.”

Thace just rolled his eyes and lifted his phone back to his ear, walking back over to where Keith had dragged him from. Then the small crowd turned to face Lotor, who had his jaw locked and was glaring at Keith. Zethrid looked ready to fight. Lance half expected Lotor to let her do so, but he just turned away and said, “Come on, Zethrid. It's clear that we aren't wanted here right now.”

“What a phony,” Keith muttered as the guy walked off and the crowd dispersed.

Lance nudged him. “That was kind of hot, how you shut him down like that.” Keith nudged him back with a roll of his eyes and a smile. “How did you remember that guy, though?”

“Who?”

“Thace. He works for Malmora and was at the last convention.”

“Oh,” Keith said slowly. “Uh, good memory, I guess.”

\--------------------------------

By the end of the night, Keith felt dead on his feet. How were the others still going? Keith wanted to collapse. His feet hurt from walking, his arms hurt from carrying Lance's things, and his eyes just hurt from being open. But nobody could say his fans weren't dedicated to the fandom. They had briefly left to find food, but had returned super fast. Way before Keith had recuperated.

Keith had separated from the group for a moment to go to the bathroom, and he took some time to watch the people that supported his work. He appreciated them, but they felt a little crazy. Mostly in a good way. It was like watching a nature documentary as he watched fans buy their cards and tear open the packs to see what they got. He could only imagine what it was going to be like on Sunday when they handed out copies of the new issue. Because he really doubted there was enough for everyone here. He knew anyone that won one of the trivia contests or like had their fanart on display at the convention was getting a copy, but Keith was certain that the rest would probably be ruthless to get one of the limited free copies being given away. Especially with it being a day before the mass public got their hand on a copy of it.

Reaching into his pocket, Keith pulled out his phone to text Lance and find out where the group was. As he did, a hand reached out and touched his arm. “Well, well,” said a familiar and cheerful voice, “I heard you were gonna be here, but I didn't want to believe it.”

Keith looked up from his phone and smirked at Ezor, who had her long hair tied back like usual and that constant sunny smile on her face. How she kept it on all the time was beyond Keith. Even at four in the morning. Ezor was the artist of another graphic novel series that Malmora published, along with her writer Narti. Narti did not seem to be present, but she was more like Keith and didn't like being out around crowds of fans. But she was also someone that Keith greatly admired, because even though she was blind, Narti had now managed to create two great graphic novel series.

If Keith ever decided to take a step back from the art side, he probably would ask Ezor to draw for him. Her art was always a masterpiece. But Keith was a sadist that liked to do both by himself.

“What are you doing here?” Keith asked.

“Don't worry,” Ezor replied with a wink, “I was given the talk. You're just a random stranger.” She slipped an arm around Keith's shoulder. “You could play the part of my adoring fan, come to worship my very existence.”

A dry look was shot in her direction by Keith. “I'm sure you get enough of that as it is.”

She chuckled and then shrugged knowingly. “Got me there, I guess. To answer your question, though, I do read your series. And I get into these things for free because I work for Malmora.” Her fingers played with the ends of her hair as she smiled at Keith. “Besides, it's great publicity for me and Narti.”

“I'm guessing Narti is home with the cat.”

“Always.”

Narti had a seeing-eye cat named Kova. Keith never thought he could related to an animal more than that grumpy cat. The only people that could pet him were Narti, Keith, and Thace. And sometimes Ezor, but it was usually rare. She claimed Narti loved the cat more than her, which Narti never denied. Kolivan hated the cat, but still let Narti bring it into the building.

“You know,” Ezor began to change the subject, “you should totally consider going public. Your fans would eat you up.” She pinched Keith's cheek as she said the last part.

Keith knocked her hand away with a dull look. “Which is exactly why I don't. And I don't mean the fangirls thinking I'm cute. I mean that I don't want to have to watch everything I say and do because some fans might get offended by a different opinion or something I do.” He frowned and crossed his arms, briefly checking his phone to see if he had a text from Lance. He did not. “I don't want my life dictated like that. Everything I do would be held under a microscope for scrutinizing.”

“Eh, you get used to it.”

“I'll take your word for it.”

Ezor's eyes flickered down at Keith's phone. “So who are you here with? Your boyfriend?” Her smirk only widened as Keith grew red and frustrated. “Nyma likes to talk. So is he here?”

“Yes,” Keigh mumbled, “but he's not my boyfriend. And you aren't meeting him.”

Ezor pouted. “Don't be like that. Nyma says he's hot.” She slugged Keith right in the arm. “Good for you. It's about time you got laid. Maybe you can stop being so uptight.”

“I'm not uptight!”

“Of course you are.” Keith had to cringe at Lance's voice behind him. “There you are. I thought you got lost in-” As Lance came up beside Keith and slung an arm around his waist, he took in the woman before them and his eyes went wide. “Y-You're... You... Keith!” With a step away from Keith, Lance began to flail his arms. “How did you bump into the artist for-” He instantly stood up straight and held out his hand for Ezra to shake, which she did with a giggle. “Hi. I'm Lance. Big fan. I'm sorry if my friend here insulted your work, he doesn't get out much or keep up with current events.” He was already handing Keith his phone. “Can I get a picture with you?”

“Sure!” Ezor said cheerfully. Her and Lance stood together, while Keith pulled up the camera on Lance's phone.

He felt his eye twitch when he caught sight of the amused look Ezor was giving him, but Keith wasn't going to complain. Lance looked so happy. But it was clear what Ezor was thinking: If he only knew who you were, this would be a million times more funny. Maybe funny for her.

“Thank you so much.” If possible, Lance shook her hand more enthusiastically the second time. “I'm a huge fan of your work. Your graphic novel and Voltron are my two favorite.” His eyes seemed to realize something as he spoke and he took a deep breath. “When you see him, could you tell the author that I really appreciated the diversity change he made with Voltron. It means a lot.”

Ezor's brows went up high and her mouth fell open a little, glancing over at Keith. Then a warm smile spread across her lips and she smiled at Lance fondly. “Of course I can.” There might have been some color in Keith's cheeks. Ezor winked at him and then shook Lance's hand a final time. “Nice to meet you.” With a quick analysis of looking Lance over, Ezor took a step back and held up a hand in a wave. “I better get going.” The corner of her mouth raised in a sly smirk. “Keith, was it? Keep going with the art. I'm sure you'll make something of yourself one day.”

If Keith didn't need his shoe, he would have tossed it at the back of her head.

There was a long moment, where Lance just watched her walk off, while seemingly bouncing with excitement. He took in a deep breath and turned to Keith, taking back his phone. “The others are ready to head back to the hotel. Are you ready?”

“God yes,” Keith breathed out.

On the way back, Keith sat silently in the back and let the others ramble in excitement over the day. They compared cards and offered each other trades, went into detail about what merchandise they found, and shared other stories. Shay and Hunk had a lot of people ask them for pictures. Pidge and Lance had both acquired a lot of new art and decorations for their place. Keith was just tired. Conventions were exhausting.

Back at the hotel, everyone just went up to their rooms and prepared to pass out. Keith had already gotten ready for bed, but was waiting on Lance. He was mainly watching TV, but he watched Lance get ready for bed out of the corner of his eye. The guy did a lot of skin care.

Once done, Lance moved to his side of the bed and fell onto it. Keith rolled his eyes, reaching over to run his fingers through Lance's hair. Lance hummed in appreciation. Keith turned the TV off and stared down at Lance. They needed to talk. Keith could only hope that Lance didn't see him any different. He didn't want that. All he ever wanted was to stay as normal as possible, and he just needed any guy he dated to see him as such.

There was no way Keith could halt what was going on between him and Lance any longer. They were going to date. It seemed like every time that Keith caught Lance staring at him, he was mulling something over in his head. His lips would always purse and his eyebrows would knit together. But he had yet to ask, probably being as patient as he could be. The thing was that Keith didn't want to not be dating Lance anymore. It was beyond time. He had put it off for way too long. But he couldn't, in good conscious, date Lance without telling him the truth.

“Lance?” Keith quietly said as he ran his fingers through Lance's hair. Lance simply exhaled into his pillow and shuffled a little. “Can we talk for a moment?”

A tired groan was exhaled into the pillow and Lance cracked one eye open. “Is it important? Can it wait until morning?” He stretched his arms high above him, yawned, and rolled over. “I'm really tired.”

“I-” Keith pursed his lips and paused. His next words were much quieter. “Yeah, it can wait.”

“Good,” Lance mumbled. His hand reached behind him and took hold of Keith's wrist before tugging him down into the bed. Lance sighed as Keith pulled them together. Tilting his head, they shared a quick kiss. “Good night! I promise we'll talk in the morning.”

\-------------------------------------

They did not get to talk in the morning, but not because Keith chickened out or because Lance got distracted. While they were in the shower making out, there was a lot of banging on their door. Lance made Keith go get it. So, after getting dried off and dressed, Keith went to open the door. It was the rest of the group.

“Come on,” Pidge whined. “We have to get going. There's going to be a bunch of panels today and then the trivia contest. I still have a lot more browsing to do before then!”

“Just...” Keith let out a sigh, “just give us a minute.”

Their talk would have to wait. Again.

“Flannel? Really?” Lance asked as they piled into the car. He eyed Keith with an arched brow.

Keith frowned down at himself before he elbowed Lance in the side. “Shut up. It's warm and it's cold outside.”

“We'll be inside.”

“It was cold in there.”

“You're cold.”

“What does that say about you, Lance?” Pidge piped up, trying to find some music. “You're the one trying to date him.”

Pidge was right, as usual. They had maybe an hour to look around some more before panels started. And Lance and Pidge wanted to go to them all. Every. Single. One. Hunk and Shay did some more looking around, but sat in every now and then. Keith tried to go with them, but Lance said he needed the panel experience to learn more about the great franchise that was Voltron. Keith really wanted to tell him that he knew enough, but couldn't. He didn't want to have the talk in public.

The first panel was hosted by Nyma and Rolo, talking about the art and what it was like to work for a publishing company. Nyma was Keith's lead artist, who got handed all his work and tasked the other artists to recreate it and touch up anything that needed it. Then Rolo got to take over. It was his job to work with the printers and deal with getting extensions with them. It was a stressful job, according to him.

Nyma got asked which of the Malmora Publishing authors and artists that she like to work with best. She looked right at Keith and said Voltron. Although she could have just been saying that because it was a Voltron convention.

Next up was another Thace and Ulaz panel like from the last one. They got to answer a bunch of questions and gave a few hints about what to expect from this season of issues. The whole convention was more surreal for Keith than he thought it would be. He knew his graphic novel had turned out popular, it was just strange to see all of his fans so passionate about it with their questions, their facial expressions when listening to a panel speaker, or even all the cosplayers. He just didn't understand why people would put so much time in effort into something he had just originally wrote to keep him from being bored in class during high school.

During lunch, while he didn't get a chance to talk to Lance, he did get drafted to talk to Pidge. She pulled him down a small hallway that looked to go to a maintenance closet. “When are you going to tell him?” she whispered, staring up at him with the most intense stare.

“What?”

“The truth, Keith.” Pidge gestured wildly to Keith. “About you. When are you going to tell him that you're the author.” So she did know. Keith felt petrified and ill. Pidge just sighed and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Of course I know. Do you honestly believe I bought that story from Shiro and Allura?”

“Why...” Keith swallowed the massive lump in his throat that felt like his heart. “Why didn't you just say something?”

“You didn't seem like you wanted anyone to know.”

So much for telling Lance first. “I've been trying to tell him. I just can't find the right time. I tried last night, but he was too tired. This morning you guys kind of blocked me. I'm just...” He let out a slow breath and then glanced back out the hall at all the passing people. “I'm just nervous. I don't want him to react badly. One way or another. He's probably going to be mad at me for not telling him, but I didn't want to date him without telling him. And I don't want him to see me any different after I tell him. That's all... That's all I've ever wanted since all this began.”

“You and Lance?”

“No,” Keith whispered, “just... this.” He waved around them. “All this Voltron stuff. I just wanted to be normal.” Rubbing at his arm, Keith's brows furrowed and his lips grew into a thin line. Why did normal seem so impossible to hold onto? “Normal just keeps slipping more and more away, and there's not much I can do about it.” There was a weight on his chest, crushing him more and more. But it felt better to get a lot of this off his chest. “The whole reason I moved out of my dorm was to get an extension on my work. They just wanted me to be more accessible to them. I don't even know if I can keep up with college. I feel like I'm drowning half the time.”

There was a moment that passed and it felt like the world stood still with it. If Keith's life was a building, he could see the cracks starting to deepen and parts of it coming down. If it was a ship, he could see the holes where it was starting to take on water. And did he ever feel like he was sinking into a deep ocean to drown.

“Keith,” Pidge said more gently than he had probably ever heard her speak, “are you unhappy?”

Was he? “No.”

He didn't think he was.

“Well,” Pidge continued, “I don't think Lance will treat you very differently. Especially if you explain that to him. I mean, he might be a little bit of a fanboy afterwards, but I don't think he will treat you differently than he does now. He would probably just be extremely happy if you were to ever work in front of him.”

“You know, half the reason I never dated was because I was afraid of being seen different. Well, that and that I have barely any time to date.”

Pidge chuckled. “You'll be fine, Keith. Just talk to him.” She gently punched his arm with a smirk. “I think it would mean the world to him to know the truth. You don't know how badly he's wanted to even breathe the same air as you. Well, you know, author you.”

“I know what you meant,” Keith chuckled. A sigh escaped him and Keith ran a hand through his hair. He felt like he was on a dead end street, going full force, with no breaks to stop him from crashing into the wall. He could only hope that it went as well as Pidge thought it would. But Pidge was very smart and she knew Lance very well. “I'll try to talk to him tonight. I did plan on it. I wanted to get it over with before we got home this weekend.”

At least one of his friends had taken the news well. Hunk probably would be cool with it. He just really worried about Lance.

Pidge let him off the hook from any further interrogation, but Keith got the impression that they would return to all of this at a later date. Probably until Keith had divulged every last bit of information about his life and everything that was Voltron.

When they found the others, Lance had already signed himself up for the trivia contest. Literally just dropped his name in the box when Keith came up to him. “Do you really need to enter that?” Keith asked. Rolo was seated behind the table and arched his eyebrow at Keith, fiddling with the pen in his hands.

“Yes, because I need to prove I am the biggest Voltron nerd to ever breathe,” Lance explained with his shoulders squared. He looked determined. “Plus I get guaranteed one of the new Voltron issues for us this way.”

Rolo cleared his throat and gave Keith a knowing look that said: Or he could just ask you for one.

Keith shot him a glare and then turned back to Lance. “And if you lose?”

Hunk chuckled and clapped Keith on the back. “Believe me, Lance won't lose.”

“Everything I've done in life has been for this single moment,” Lance stated. Keith and Pidge both palmed their faces.

“Maybe the author will give you his blessing if you win,” Rolo mumbled as he shuffled some papers. When everyone in line shot him a look, he froze. So did Keith. Fuck. “Uh, what I meant was-”

Lance slammed his palms down on the table. “Is the author here?” he shouted, much more loudly than necessary and managed to draw even more attention. Pidge pinched the bridge of her nose. Keith wanted to strangle Rolo. “Is he really?”

“Uh...” Rolo cursed under his breath, probably trying to think of an escape plan. “What I meant was-”

Too late, everyone was starting to whisper. Lance had grabbed Hunk. “Do you realize what this could mean? It could be anyone. Even the people that have done the panels, or maybe someone out here wandering around the convention. What if it's you?” Lance gasped dramatically. “How could you lie to me this whole time, buddy?”

“Lance,” Pidge said dully. Hunk just chuckled and patted Lance on the back. This was a disaster.

Keith took in a breath. “Lance, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Shut down. Lance held up a hand, his eyes wide as they stared at Keith. “No time. I need to uncover the truth here before the trivia contest!”

“But that's what I need to talk to you...” And Lance was gone. Keith sighed. “About.”

Why couldn't he have just done this before the convention? It made way more sense now that he thought about it. He couldn't hope to get Lance to calm down for a moment to talk in a place like this. For all he knew, Keith probably wouldn't even catch a glimpse of Lance again until the trivia contest.

Then again, he could have security tackle him. Tempting.

\------------------------------------

There was no more time. Not really. It seemed like it would have to wait until they left the convention before they could talk. Lance stood on stage with a handful of other contestants and Thace, who looked more than done with life. At least half of the contestants asked if the author was going to be doing the contest or handing out the award at the end, to which Thace could not really answer. Before the contest, Keith had received a series of all caps texts from him, asking why there were rumors that the author was in fact at the convention. To which Keith simply directed him to Rolo.

When Lance introduced himself, he had to go and tell everyone that all he really wanted was to meet the author, if only for a minute. That it would mean the to world to him to win the contest with the author there to give out the prize and see how much Lance loved Voltron. Because he couldn't make things easier on Keith. To make it worse, Pidge kept glancing at him every time Lance got a question correct.

Keith felt like he was suffocating. It was like the night before deadline and he barely had any of it done. It wasn't Lance's fault, though. He didn't understand that he was causing Keith stress. It was Keith's own fault for putting it off this long. He should have never waited until now. There had been so many opportunities. And he had been a coward each of those times. Well look where it had gotten him.

With every question that he got right or an opponent got taken out of the contest, Lance only grew more and more excited. He looked like he did whenever Keith finally agreed to go on a date with him. And he just wanted his wish. There Keith was, perfectly capable of fulfilling it, but bound to crush it. How could he crush Lance like that? Could he really do that to him? He cared for Lance, perhaps more than he should. Perhaps way more than he should. They weren't even dating yet, and Keith already wondered just how deep his feelings ran for Lance.

Now that everyone knew that the author was somewhere at the convention, how could Keith just let Lance stand up there if he won and slowly watch his dreams get crushed?

No, some part of his mind reasoned, Keith could just talk to Lance after. It wouldn't be a big deal. Right?

Right?

Keith didn't know the right answer.

Was there one?

Now it was just down to five contestants, and of course Lance was still one of them. Maybe if he lost, Keith could feel like he was off the hook. It was a horrible thought.

Three contestants. Keith could feel a tightness in his chest. Lance was on stage practically bouncing on his heels. Hunk slapped Keith on the bank. “Don't worry so much, Lance has got this in the bag,” he assured Keith. That was exactly what Keith was worried about.

If it was anyone else, Keith could easily stay where he was and not feel guilty about not showing up to give out a prize. But Lance? He just didn't know what to do. Every part of him was locked in an internal war.

“What lion did Princess Farla's father pilot?” Thace asked Lance.

“The red one, of course,” Lance said smugly. Keith sighed.

The next contestant failed to answer what food Hiroshi enjoyed the most. The next got an easy one with Ryou's nickname being Space Dad. Then it was just two. Lance could not have looked more confident. 

“What nationality is Ryou?” Thace asked.

“Japanese,” Lance replied with no hesitation.

“Correct. While a lot of the characters share Japanese names, most of them are not.” That was mostly to spite Keith's half-Korean mother. Plus he had been learning Japanese at the time that he was making the characters.

Back and forth the two contestants went for about fifteen minutes, neither of them failing to answer the question presented to them. Lance didn't seem miffed at all, though, that someone was keeping up with him. If anything, he seemed to thrive on the competition. All the while, Keith struggled with his own questions. He just... What was he supposed to do?

This was all Rolo's fault. If he hadn't let anything slip, Keith wouldn't have to debate any of this. Now he was forced to choose between crushing Lance's dreams or giving up the thing he had clung onto the most: his anonymity.

It was impossible to even hear the contest anymore. All Keith heard was a ringing in his ears and the dull roar of the voices on stage. All of a sudden, the girl up there that was competing with Lance glumly walked off the stage and Thace held up Lance's hand, who looked like he might collapse from excitement at any given moment. And he was beaming at Keith. Beaming! How could Keith be heartless enough to crush that?

“Does this mean I get to meet the author? Can I have that as a prize?” Lance said quickly and before Thace could get a word out.

“Uh,” Thace replied in shock. “I don't... know...” He glanced at Keith, which was a mistake. Warning bells went off as soon as he saw Lance perk up even more.

“H-He's here? In the crowd?” Lance stared wide-eyed out at the audience. Then said into his microphone, “It would mean the world to me to meet you.”

Stop. Why Lance? Why Thace? Why was everyone doing this to Keith? He couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe? He just wanted Lance to stop looking around the crowd for someone to come up on stage. Why couldn't he understand that this was not what Keith wanted? Well Keith didn't have to do anything.

He would just stand right where he was.

Thace, still looking at Keith, sighed and went to reach for the new graphic novel issue that was meant for Lance. The issue that Lance wanted the author to give him. The author that was Keith. Keith the author that Lance dreamed of meeting right now.

And Keith was letting him down.

But he couldn't just give up everything he had worked to keep. Not for Lance, not for anybody.

No, he would stay right where he was. Lance and his stupid puppy dog eyes be damned.

Stay. Right. Where. He. Was.

“Keith?” Lance quietly asked in confusion.

Keith looked down. One foot was on the steps of the stage. Everyone around him froze. Pidge used the opportunity to take a picture of Lance's face. It was possible that Thace looked more surprised than Keith himself did. Honestly, though, Keith wasn't sure how he was even moving. He definitely was not telling his legs to move.

A chuckle came over Lance, slightly nervous. “Very funny, Keith. You shouldn't be up here on the stage.” 

Quietly, Keith reached out for the graphic novel and Thace silently handed it to him. The look that Thace gave him was clearly questioning this decision. Too late to go back now. People were whispering in the crowd now. And Keith? Keith was shaking as he held out the graphic novel for Lance, unable to meet Lance's eyes.

“Okay, joke's over, Keith,” Lance chuckled. When Keith didn't move, his smile slowly fell off his face and shock overtook his expression. “You... No, you can't...” He looked at Thace, who nodded. “What?”

“Congratulations,” Keith whispered as he handed the stunned Lance the new issue of Voltron.

Looking between Thace and Keith, Lance stood there. He shook his head and took a step back. Keith stepped forward and Lance took two more back. Then he bolted and jumped off the stage, running as fast as he could from the stage. Keith's arms dropped and turned back to Thace, who squeezed his shoulder in an attempt at support.

Leaning in, so only Keith heard him, Thace whispered, “I'm proud of you for what you just did. I know it wasn't easy.”

“Yeah,” Keith muttered, head bowed glumly.

The silence from the crowd ended and everyone began to roar with questions. Security quickly had to move in front of the stage to keep the crowd from jumping up there after Keith. Pidge was cringing, but gave him a thumbs up. Hunk looked frozen, but Shay elbowed him and he nodded before taking off after Lance. Shay looked up at Keith in awe, covering her mouth.

And all Keith could do was stand there, frozen, as everyone yelled at him with a million questions.

\-------------------------------------

The next day felt like an eternity had passed, but at the same time had come far too quickly. Keith had not been able to sleep. He had spent most of the time trying to get Lance to talk to him. Lance had locked himself away in the other room, unwilling to talk to Keith. He told the others to let Lance have their room, he went and found his own. 

Kolivan was more than happy with Keith's decision, and had already scheduled a last minute panel for him today. Keith was not sure how to exactly plan for that. He still was not sure why he had agreed to it, but Keith felt defeated and had just gone along with it.

Pidge and Shay came to talk to him before the panel. “Hey,” Pidge greeted him. “Your security guy let us by. Thanks for the clearance.”

“No problem,” Keith sighed as he slouched in his seat.

Pidge pulled up a chair and sat across from Keith. “You look super glum, man. Cheer up, he'll come around.” Looking to Shay, Pidge shrugged. “I'll admit that I didn't expect him to react that way.”

“Lance is just in shock,” Shay suggested. She rubbed Keith's back gently, which helped a little bit. “Keith, that was very big of you. I also wanted to thank you for everything you've said to me in the past. About my costume and stuff.” Keith smiled weakly at her. “It meant a lot before, but having you be who you are takes it to a rather whole new level.”

“I don't appreciate bullying,” Keith mumbled. Standing up, Keith took to pacing. He just wanted to get Lance off his mind. He wanted Lance to be there for the panel, even though he was sure Lance wouldn't be. “And you looked amazing.”

“Keith,” Pidge began, “don't sweat it so much. Lance still likes you. He just needs time to process things. I promise that he will come around.”

Thace popped his head in and signaled to Keith that they would be starting soon. Keith sighed and said, “I really hope so. I think I'll get a ride home with someone from Malmora, though. I don't want to make it awkward.”

Neither Pidge or Shay seemed to like that very much, but they chose not to argue. Keith gave them a final nod and then walked over to where Thace was waiting for him. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Thace asked him, putting a hand to Keith's chest to stop him.

“No, but too late now.”

Going onto the stage, Keith was greeted with a roar from the crowd. Thace came to a stop and fixed him with a look, clearing his throat. Keith sighed and raised his hand in a wave before moving to sit at the table with Thace. He hated this.

Lance was not in the crowd. At least not that Keith could see.

Before Thace could even start, everyone in the audience—which looked like it very well could have been the entire convention—shot their hands into the air for questions. Thace rolled his eyes and motioned for them to calm down.

“I know you are all excited to be here at the revelation of the author,”he began, “but we will get to questions in a bit.” He cleared his throat again and turned to Keith, who was not really staring at anything in particular. “I think it best if we start by letting him introduce himself to all of you.”

It took an elbow from Thace to get Keith to react. He frowed at Thace before scanning the crowd. Ezor was there with Rolo and Nyma, all three of them waiting anxiously for Keith to talk. They probably knew how nerve-racking this was for him.

“Keith?” Thace said quietly, covering the mic for only Keith to hear him. “Are you okay?”

Not really. It just hurt, having done it for Lance and Lance was not even here. Taking in a deep breath, Keith nodded and adjusted the mic. He leaned forward in his seat and began.

“Hello.” Lots of screaming. “Um, my name is Keith Kogane. I am also the author and artist of Voltron.” Water. He needed water. He quickly reached for a bottle that had been placed there for him, while the fans screamed more. “I started Voltron when I was ending my freshman year in high school, but it was mostly doodling back then. Then I got it published when I was... when I was in the eleventh grade. I am currently the youngest author or artist at Malmora Publishing, and I definitely was at the time of being picked up.” Another deep breath. He could do this. “I go to college and have been trying to live a private and normal life prior to this. Um, but my... friend won the contest.” That was all Lance was to him, right? Maybe now they never would be anything more, or maybe not even that. “I had not actually told him who I was yet, and I guess it was surprising for him... to say the least.”

Keith leaned forward and covered his face for a moment. He was not shy, but this was definitely making him anxious. It was throwing away everything he had built to keep a normal life. All of that was gone now. What did this mean for his future?

“I just turned twenty last week,” Keith continued. Everything had been so much easier back then. He had been happy with Lance and everything felt right. Now it was spiraling down like a plane with only one wing. Everyone screamed a happy birthday at him during his pause. He forced himself to smile. “This is the first Voltron convention that I've actually attended, and it...” he managed a real laugh this time, “it's definitely been an experience.” Everyone laughed with him. “Thank you all so much for the support over the years, you know. I couldn't have gotten this far without any of you.”

He looked to Thace and the man nodded at him. “I guess that's a good introduction as any.” He motioned to Rolo, who grabbed a mic. “We will now be taking questions.”

More than anything, Keith just wanted to tune it all out and retreat into his head, but he couldn't.

The first question came: “How long do you plan to continue to write Voltron?”

“Uh,” Keith replied, “as long as I keep coming up with good ideas and get support, I guess.”

The next was, “Are you single?” That one caught Keith a little off-guard.

He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. He really didn't owe any of these people answers on his personal life. And he was about to respond that he didn't have a comment, but then he saw him. Lance was there. He didn't look too happy, but he was there. Keith sighed and let out a breath.

He said, “I am seeing someone. But that is all I'm going to say on the matter. Private life and all that.” Glancing at Lance again, Keith stared for a moment. It was hard to read Lance right now, which was strange because Keith could always read Lance. The guy practically wore his emotions as a second layer of clothing to be on display for the world to see.

With the following question came the most controversial one. And Keith was not sure if it was a good idea to answer at all. Thace definitely seemed on edge, waiting for Keith's answer.

“Which ship do you plan on making canon?”

There was a lot of silence for that one. His fans were great, but it was like watching a battle royale of most dangerous predators fight to the death when it came to romance shipping. Was there really a right answer to this?

“Is it Ryou and Akira?”

“Akira and Isamu?” came another one.

“Akira and Farla?” Why were these all about Akira?

“Farla and Ryou?”

Keith pointed at that girl. “One that doesn't revolve around Akira, finally.”

The crowd chuckled and the girl that had just spoken said, “I think everyone just wants him to be happy.”

It hit Keith rather hard to hear that. Even though he never wanted to admit it, Shiro and everyone else always said that he put himself into Akira. Was he not happy? At least not before Lance maybe? Keith was not sure. Working on Voltron was all he had known for the past few years. Was that just not enough?

“It's Ryou and Akira, right?” a guy yelled out.

With that, Keith cringed and made a face. The crowd reacted in two ways. Some definitely seemed happy, and others seemed rather upset that Keith had just shut down their ship. He quickly held up a hand. “Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on toes. It's just that Ryou is inspired by my brother, and he always tells me I put a little of myself into Akira.” He scratched the back of his head nervously, glancing at Thace for help. All he got was a nod. “So it is just a little weird for me to picture them together, given who they are technically based off of. And, yes, I guess I put myself into the story. Not completely. In my defense, though, I was a freshman in high school when I created Akira.”

That got a few laughs from the audience and seemed to pacify the upset shippers. Keith breathed a sigh of relief and tried to relax. His shoulders felt far more stiff than when he had come onto the stage.

With a deep breath, he continued, “I honestly don't know yet what I'll do for a romance. Um, I guess I have been a little distracted with the rest of the plot.” He just hoped that would do.

Probably telling them the truth would upset half and make the others uncontrollable. If he validated a ship, Keith was pretty sure the people that shipped it would use it as a weapon to attack the other ships. And Keith did not really want discourse in his fandom, even though he knew it went on anyways. They could just live without knowing that Isamu was now redesigned to look like the guy that Keith had feelings for.

With a glance at the time, Keith fought the urge to groan. It felt like an eternity had passed, but Keith still had another forty-five minutes of this. And a sea of questions still to be answered.

As he looked back up, Lance was leaving the panel. Keith's heart fell and he found himself rising to his feet. He wanted to say something, but Thace caught his arm. Keith had to watch Lance go. He sank back into his chair and let out a heavy sigh. This weekend had not gone as he had planned it. All of it was his fault. He shouldn't have waited. Now it might have been too late.

The only good thing that came out of the day was when he was signing autographs. While Lance didn't show up in line, Lotor did. And did he not want to look Keith directly in the eye for too long. There might have been a little smugness on Keith's face as he signed the copy of Voltron in front of him.

Zethrid still glared at him, but Lotor was all that Keith cared about.

“So,” Keith said.

“So,” Lotor repeated. He took the issue back from Keith. “I... need to... apologize.”

A little too quiet for Keith's taste. “I'm sorry, what was that?”

Lotor placed a hand in front of Zethrid before she could react. “I need to apologize for what I said earlier. I had no idea.” He cleared his throat as he admired the newly signed copy. “I am still a fan of your work. I meant no disrespect.” His gaze stared back at Keith with a curious look. “But you had not told your boyfriend who you are?”

“I had been meaning to,” Keith mumbled as Lotor was ushered off down the line. Staring after the guy for a moment, Keith tapped his marker against the table before he went back to signing things.

He had hoped that Lance would show up at some point, but never did. Keith didn't care if he was in line or not, he had told security to give Lance clearance to come up and sit right beside him if he damn well pleased. Nyma had told him that she had given Lance the special tag for clearance and that Lance had accepted it, but said he didn't want to talk to Keith right now. It stung, to say the least.

The only thing that Keith could really do was hope. Hope that things worked out. Hope that he had made the right choice. Hope that Lance would forgive him. Hopefully soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It felt good to finally finish this chapter. So I had the idea for Keith running into a fellow author somehow in the story, but I didn't think about it until like two chapters ago and I felt it was a little too late to throw in at that point. Plus I thought nobody really knows who Keith is. Then a reader made the suggestion as well and I thought about it for a while. Of course it hit me that people in Keith's own publishing company would know, including other authors/artists. So I managed to get that in. I am shooting for two more chapters of this story. But I do have more stories planned. As I am finishing this one and finishing my other fic House of the Wicked, I still want to write fics while I work on getting a book out. So I am going to put out more Klance. When I created this one, I already had ideas for a second and possibly third fic. I'll be working on those after I finish this.
> 
> I do want to say how amazing you guys are. Really. I love how vocal you guys are after reading my chapters. It's very refreshing to hear your thoughts and support. This being my first Voltron fic, I just want to express how grateful I am for the love that you guys have sent my way on this fic. And also thank you to those that have been recommending my fic to others. It means a lot.
> 
> I'm going to go, though. I've been feeling a little like Keith this chapter, rather overwhelmed with my life. Just a lot going on and not exactly going how I need it to right now. Hopefully, the next update won't take too terribly long, but I can't make any promises as to when it will be out, as I am preparing to do major writing for my book over the next few weeks. Until next time, though, thank you all again for taking the time to read my story.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me start off with two apologies. I'm sorry for the wait, and I'm sorry that I didn't really have time to edit this chapter for mistakes. So please ignore grammar and stuff. I have been so very busy. Trying to find a job really sucks right now, and I desperately need one if I want to pay my bills. Then I have finally made a large amount of progress with my book, finally sitting down to rewrite it. And I also got made DM for my friend's Pathfinder group, which is essentially Dungeons and Dragons. So I get to create a story solely for them to enjoy. It is great practice for writing fantasy stories, though. Again, thank you to everyone who has been recommending my story. I found several of you on tumblr since my last update. I also enjoyed trying to torment keiths-stupid-mullet on there. And they have done a very good job promoting me.

“I don't want to do another interview this week,” Keith muttered as he sat in the passenger seat of the car that Thace was driving. Apparently he had been moved, again, while several states over for several signings and even some nerd TV show that had requested him.

A month had gone by since the Voltron convention, and everything was about as bad as Keith had always thought it would be if this were to happen. But the worst part? Lance had not said a word to him. He wasn't even sure if he would see Lance again before the guy went home for winter break. It sucked. Lance didn't answer his calls or texts, and Keith had barely been home long enough to stop by to try and talk to him.

He had at least gotten all his college work finished, but the truth was... Keith probably wouldn't be returning to college for spring semester. It sucked, but it was life. He hated all the attention that some of his classmates had been giving him. Not to mention that random people would come up and harass him while walking to class.

Keith had gotten to see Pidge and Hunk once since the convention. Hunk had still been in shock, but had just smiled and hugged Keith so tightly, thanking him for creating Voltron. It was nice. Keith just wished that Lance was okay with it all. Pidge assured him that Lance just needed time and that he would come around. But, as the days went by, Keith got less and less hopeful that it was true.

Thace sighed and said, “I know. And I know you've hated all this.” He spared Keith a glance, who was leaning against the door with a frown. “I take it that the boy... Lance... has still yet to talk to you?” Keith shook his head. “Try not to dwell on it. I do promise that we will do everything we can to keep this address private, and it should be your new permanent one.”

As they pulled up to it, Keith stared. It was a house. Like a real house. Not the biggest, but it was definitely more than enough for one person. It was big enough for two. It even had a yard. Keith stared at Thace. “This is my house?”

“Yes.”

They both climbed out and Keith frowned at the movers as they took his things inside. He owned this house? “Where did the money come from?”

“The same place that your hotel room did,” Thace explained as he handed over Keith's key. He arched a brow at the confused expression on Keith's face. “I told you this before.”

There was some memory of that, but Keith had zoned out. Not that he would tell Thace that. “Could you tell me again? Is this costing me? Because I definitely did not agree to this.”

“No,” Thace sighed.

They entered the house and Keith took a moment to look around. There was a really nice kitchen and even a dinning room, though the dining room wasn't that big. Then again, Keith really didn't care about it. He would rather sit down on the couch and watch TV while he ate. People were already stocking his fridge. The living room was fairly big with a high ceiling, and railing that overlooked it from the second floor. There was a new TV waiting for Keith, which he really didn't mind.

There was a small bathroom downstairs as well, but nothing special. Upstairs, though, it was great. The master bedroom was around the same size as the living room, way more space than Keith needed. There was another TV there, and a bed that could fit about three people. He had a deep walk-in closet, although he really didn't need a huge closet for how few clothes he had. Keith had never been a fashion person. Although, that seemed to be about to change, because it was also being stocked with clothes that Keith really did not recall buying. An army of shoes had also been supplied.

The master bathroom was also big with a nice shower and everything. A small hallway led down to what was probably another bedroom, but had been converted into a studio for Keith to work in. All of his paints, pencils, sketchbooks, and everything had been dropped off for Keith to sort through himself. It had a large window that looked down on the backyard, which was fenced in with a small patio for Keith to enjoy, if the mood ever hit. Keith couldn't really see himself sitting down for breakfast out there or anything. At least there wasn't a pool, then Keith would really feel uncomfortable with how much this place probably costed. Still, it really left him questioning things.

When he turned to Thace, the man said, “Your mother paid for it.” Those words shook Keith to his core. They echoed on repeat for about a minute. “The money she's been getting from your profits, she apparently has been setting it aside for you. So she bought you this, and paid for your hotel room.” He came up beside Keith, who was still frozen in place. His mother. Bought. Him. A. House? What? Was this a dream? It had to be a dream. There was no way that that sentence would make sense if it wasn't a dream. “Your parents agreed on it when you signed your contract.”

Did not compute.

His mother? Bought him a house? Bought Keith a house? Keith's mother had bought him a house? Saying it over and over didn't help it seem any more reasonable to believe. The same mother that had left him and his father had bought him a house? The same mother that had been distant most of his years after the divorce? She bought him a house?

“Was there a catch?”

Thace gave Keith a strange look. “Excuse me?”

“A catch,” Keith repeated. “Was there a catch to this? Did she want anything? Because if she did, then you can tell her that-”

“Keith,” Thace interrupted him. “There is no catch.” He handed over a stack of papers. It was the deed to the house. “It's completely yours, no strings attached. We all thought you deserved something nice after what you did and for putting up with this new life, and your parents wanted you to have a house when you got old enough. One that you wouldn't have to worry about paying for.”

“Why didn't she tell me?”

“Well it's not like you have been on the best speaking terms.”

Fair.

\-------------------------------------

“Come on!”

“No.”

“Just call him.”

“Stop being a baby.”

“No- Wait!”

Lance's mouth dropped and Pidge smirked back at him. It was clear she had won this round. Didn't mean Lance was going to do what she wanted, though. Both Pidge and Shay stood in Lance's room, hovering beside his bed as he stared up at the ceiling.

For the past month, it was the same day after day of wanting Lance to talk to Keith. But how was he supposed to? Keith had lied to him! Lance had practically made a fool of himself in front of Keith all this time, spouting off about his obsession of Voltron and everything to do with it, and Keith had just let him. He even let Lance try and explain Voltron to him. The most important figure to Lance—outside of his family and friends—and they had been right there under his nose for months now. He had insulted the author of Voltron's hair upon meeting him!

How could Keith just stand there and let Lance make a fool out of himself this whole time?

It wasn't like Lance needed help doing that!

His hands came up to cover his face as realization hit him. He had seen the author of Voltron naked. He had kissed the author of Voltron. What was his life anymore? How could he face Keith again after all this?

“Keith,” Shay took over, “you need to talk to him.”

Pidge nodded. “Hunk saw him the other day in class, and said that he seemed rather down.”

Why would anyone be down when they had so many people fawning over them? Keith was basically a new celebrity in the nerd community. Not that Lance had been keeping tabs on Keith since the convention. Nope, not at all. And he totally hadn't read that first issue of the new season of Voltron about ten times before even getting back home that weekend.

One more had come out since then, and it didn't seem like he even had to buy it. Hunk came home the day before they came out with three copies for each of them. Keith had apparently given them to him in class that day. And, well, who was Lance to refuse a gift?

He knew they were right, of course, but it wasn't easy for Lance to talk to Keith right now. He didn't know what to say. Where would they even start? Eventually, yes, Lance would talk to him again, he just didn't know when. He still liked Keith, still felt the same way about him, it was just different to look at Keith now that he knew who he was.

“He tried to tell you,” Pidge continued.

That had started to sink in as well. Looking back on it, there were several times that Keith has wanted to talk to him that weekend, but Lance had been too distracted or tired to talk.

Barely above a whisper, Lance asked, “Why did he even come up there?”

Pidge picked up one of his pillows and hit him with it, causing Lance to yelp. “Because it was you, stupid. He went up there for you. He likes you, remember. He gave up his normal life for you. Because apparently you're that important to him.”

“In case you forgot,” Hunk said, suddenly appearing in the doorway, “he did model a character after you. Well, changed the model.”

That still felt weird to think about. It was amazing, but weird. His phone weighed heavily in his hand. Maybe he should call Keith. He just... couldn't.

Pidge shook her head. “Didn't seem like he wanted to tell anyone. I figured it out for myself by accident, but he was actually going to tell you. He wanted you to know. Apparently he couldn't date you until he told you, which is probably why he put off dating you so long to work up the nerve to actually tell you.” Lance squinted his eyes at her as she finished and adjusted her glasses.

Taking in a deep breath, Lance swung his legs over the side and got off the bed. “I need some air,” was all he mumbled before grabbing his keys and heading out the door. He didn't even put his shoes on until outside.

He just wanted some peace and quiet to think. Every single day since the convention, all three of them had done nothing but lecture him about why he needed to talk to Keith. And maybe Lance did need to talk to Keith, but he would do so in his own time. After he thought everything over.

The air was much colder now, and Lance was suddenly glad that he had been lounging in his hoodie. Tilting his head back, Lance exhaled a few times to watch his breath in the cold. He had not seen any of this coming. Keith being the author that Lance had been in love with all this time was like the biggest plot twist to the story that was his life. How was Lance supposed to react to something like that? Even if Keith had told him in private, Lance would have probably still been where he was now. Possibly. There was no real way of knowing.

Another ten minutes of walking had Lance change his course to the coffee shop on campus that he worked at. Maybe some coffee would give him the answers he sought. Even if Keith was the author of Voltron, he was still Keith, right? He was still the stupid guy with the mullet, who Lance had developed feelings for. So why was it so hard to look at him the same now?

Perhaps the coffee shop had been a mistake.

Waiting off to the side for his coffee, was Keith, wrapped up in a scarf and warm jacket. He turned at the sound of the door and his eyes snapped to focus upon realizing it was Lance. And there Lance was, frozen, and contemplating running out the door. Too late now, Keith saw him.

“Hi,” Lance found himself saying. His hand was even up in a wave, and now he couldn't get it to come back down.

“Hi,” Keith repeated. He briefly met Lance's gaze before casting his eyes to the floor. “Um, sorry. I didn't think you were here, so I...” Keith motioned over his shoulder at the counter. “Um, I'll be gone shortly. You don't have to leave.”

“It's fine,” Lance whispered. His body finally moved to Lance's command again and he stepped more into the store. Okay, Lance had been seeing Keith every so often online for various reasons, but something about him in person was always much more beautiful to Lance. “I just...” Lance also motioned to the counter, “needed some coffee.”

Lance's lips instantly tilted down. Where was... Lance moved forward and grabbed the back of Keith's head without a word. Keith, blinking in confusion, just let it happen. Lance stepped around Keith and squinted. What the fuck? It was...

“Why did you cut your hair?”

“What?” Keith blinked, hand shooting behind his head. “Oh. Um, my stylist thought this would look better for my image. I mean, it's whatever. It was just a stupid mullet, right?” The look and smallness to Keith right then, made something squeeze in Lance's chest.

It was true, Lance had made fun of Keith's hair and everything, but that was Keith's hair. And, while this haircut did look very nice, it just wasn't Keith. Now Lance realized just how much he did, in fact, like Keith's hair as it was.

“You should have told them to fuck off.”

That got a soft chuckle out of Keith as the barista slid his coffee across the counter. Keith grabbed it and said, “I didn't think you cared that much.”

“It was just your look,” Lance retorted. “Next time tell them...” And then there was a short car horn outside. Keith and Lance both turned to look and a car flashed its lights.

“Oh,” Keith quickly said, “right. Sorry, I forgot that Thace was still in the car. I just got home from a signing today.” With a better look, standing so close now, Lance could see the exhaustion in Keith's eyes. It seeped through his voice as Lance listened more closely. “I should probably go.”

Go? But they just started talking. Why would Keith go?

But Lance just could not get his mouth to work. So he just had to watch as Keith walked to the door. As soon as it opened, Lance spun away and cursed himself. He was so stupid. Just say something! Anything! It wasn't that hard!

“Lance.” Spinning back around, Lance found Keith still in the doorway. He pursed his lips and then said, “Are you... I mean, are you probably going home for winter break?”

There was definitely something there in Keith's voice, and hope in his eyes. Seeing him now, though, was much harder than Lance thought it would be. Even breathing felt hard, a heavy weight now crushing against his chest.

“Probably.” Lance's voice had cracked. Blushing, Lance cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I guess anyways. At least for Christmas. I know I'll be back for New Years.”

Sadness and hurt flashed across Keith's face, but then it was gone in the blink of an eye. Keith smiled and nodded, stepping out into the cold and getting into the car that was waiting for him. Gone. He was gone again. Already he felt like a memory in Lance's mind. Standing there, not sure if he needed to move or not, Lance was no longer sure if coffee would help take away the cold that he was now left with.

\---------------------------------------------

Christmas was different this year. Even if his father was not able to be with them, Keith still enjoyed being with Shiro and his stepmother on Christmas. And then Allura had started to come and made it even warmer. This year, Keith had gotten in late on Christmas Eve and had instantly crashed in his bed. Kolivan, who Keith and Thace agreed was probably a Scrooge, had set Keith up to do a Christmas special show with a YouTube channel playing board games. Something felt missing, though. And this year it wasn't his father.

Ever since the convention, Keith had just felt empty. Something inside him was missing. Thace tried to tell him that it was just his new life, and that Keith would adjust with time. Keith wasn't sure that was it. He was pretty sure what was missing was Lance.

He sat on the floor on Christmas morning, in his pajamas, as everyone opened presents. Honestly, presents were one of the things that Keith always liked about his job. Because it allowed him to buy nice things for his family. Growing up, Keith really hadn't really had much, especially after the divorce. And seeing their faces usually made him very happy, but not this year.

This year Keith was sulking.

His phone sat between his crossed legs. His mother had already tried to call him to wish him a Merry Christmas like she did every year, which was one of the few times that Keith usually heard from her. He hadn't picked up. Keith wasn't sure what to say to her after learning about what she had done. It was just too... nice to be her. Or at least the image Keith had of her. Maybe he had just been wrong about his mother all these years? His father had never seemed upset with her, only Keith had. He had blamed her for the divorce.

It still didn't change the fact that she stopped trying to be a mother to Keith after that.

Here he was, mind wandering to things like Lance, and Lance was probably having such a good time with his family that he wasn't even thinking about Keith. It sucked. Keith had been leaving him alone, not texting him, and giving Lance some space. He just wished Lance would text him. Or even call him. But there was nothing that Keith could do. All that could be done now was wait and let things fall where they may.

It didn't make him feel any better about any of it.

“Keith?” Allura asked gently.

Keith looked up and found that they were the only two in the room. A quick look over his shoulder found that Shiro and his mother were in the kitchen making breakfast. He hadn't even noticed them move.

“Are you all right?” Allura continued.

“Not really, but nothing I can do about it.”

With a smile, she nudged him. “Are we really so boring?”

It wasn't much, but it did get a small smile out of Keith. “It's not that.” With a sigh, Keith placed the box in his hand down and leaned back on his palms. “I just... wish I at least had an answer. I wanna know if I should try to move on, or if there is still some hope for me and him.”

“I don't think it's time to give up yet. Maybe this break will be good for him, give him a chance to clear his mind and think about everything.”

“Probably not what I want, though.”

A soft smile touched at her lips. Allura reached over and squeezed Keith's shoulder. “Sometimes we have to think about the other person before ourselves.” She waited until Keith looked at her. She waited a long time. “I don't think it will come to that, though. I think Lance likes you too much to let something like this come between you.”

“Yet here we are.”

“Yes,” she said softly, “here we are.”

\------------------------------------------------

Home was nice. Being away from school was nice. Being away from his friends was not so nice. But Lance was finally back at his shared place, though the other two had yet to get back. It was still a few days before New Years. Having a big family was hectic, and things had been so crazy over Christmas. But he had also been rushed out of the house, so that his father could take his mother on a cruise for a Christmas present. Of course none of the kids had been invited. Some loving parents he had.

So Lance was now forced to endure the next few days alone, bored, until his friends got back from their holiday. Not to say that he had time to relax at home. As soon as his mother asked about Lance's boyfriend—of course she would refer to Keith like that—and Lance told her they weren't talking at the moment, his mother had smacked him on the back of his head and lectured him for at least thirty minutes in very angry Spanish about how she couldn't believe she had raised such a fool.

Everyone was against him.

Lance didn't even need his mother's help. He had been thinking about Keith all break. Every so often, one of his siblings would catch him scrolling through his phone while he was looking at pictures of Keith. Which was also what he was doing at the moment, sitting on the floor of his living room, in the dark. Or he had been. Now Lance found that Keith's number was there on the screen, his finger hovering over it and ready to tap.

Lance's lips tilted down and he let the phone drop to the floor before standing to his feet and going to the kitchen to find something to snack on. He wanted to see Keith, wanted to talk to him, but Lance couldn't bring himself to do it. It was stupid, Lance knew it, but it didn't help the fact that he couldn't go through with it. It was like his body wanted this to fail, and his mind was screaming at him for it. He missed Keith. He missed his friend. He missed waking up next to that stupid mullet... which some idiot had decided to cut. Stupid Keith.

Stupid Lance.

Before he even knew what he was doing, Lance shot away from the counter in the kitchen and marched back into the living room, scooped up his phone, and sent Keith a text. The phone dropped from his hand as soon as he realized what he had done. His hands rose to his face as his body went rigid and eyes wide. What had he done?

Keith was probably enjoying family time still, right? Or maybe he was off doing some stupid Voltron thing now. It wasn't like-

The phone vibrated by Lance's foot. And there Lance was, squatting over it and looking at the screen. Keith was... here... in the city... tonight. What? Why was he not somewhere else? How was Lance supposed to get out of this now?

Because that was totally what he really wanted to do.

Which was why Lance sent a reply, asking Keith to come over. Clearly what Lance wanted. This was a disaster! What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? Lance shrieked, and then was very thankful that nobody was there to hear it. What was he supposed to wear, though?

It wasn't like they were going out anywhere, and Keith had seen him in all sorts of states of attire, or lack thereof. It still didn't stop Lance from going to his room and getting into comfortable clothes that didn't make him look like a walking disaster. Then he fixed his hair, brushed his teeth, and gargled mouthwash.

Why wouldn't his heart stop pounding?

When there was a knock at his door, Lance still was not sure what he was going to say? Upon opening the door, though, Lance wasn't sure he would be able to get words out anyway. His throat felt dry all of a sudden.

There Keith was, dressed in dark clothing and looking pale in the bright light of the moon. He had a scarf that was wrapped up around his mouth and nose, a jacket that looked extremely warm. Lance quickly stepped aside to let Keith in.

“Uh...”

As Keith took off his jacket, he glanced at Lance from behind his eyelashes. “Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi,” Lance repeated.

Good start.

Lance cleared his throat as he watched Keith hang up his jacket and then take off his scarf. While Keith was turned around doing that, Lance locked into to the neck. It was less visible that it had been a few weeks ago.

“You're growing your hair back out?”

“I mean,” Keith said, “just growing it back out like it was before I cut it. I told my stylist that I liked my hair how it was and I wasn't going to change for an image.” The long look he gave Lance said there might have been a little more to it. “How are you?”

Lance was going out of his mind. “Good. You?”

“Good.”

Good. Why was it so awkward now? They used to be so comfortable around each other. Lance didn't like this. It was still just Keith. It was also the guy that wrote the bible that was Voltron, who Lance had worshiped for years now. And that guy was now standing in Lance's apartment. No big deal.

Just Keith!

Lance shook his head and tried for a smile. “You want to maybe sit down? We could watch a movie,” he said. There was a lump in his throat and Lance was forced to swallow it. Keith watching him made him uncomfortable. It wasn't a strange stare, just a normal one, but it still got to Lance. “Pidge and Hunk are still out of town, and I have been going out of my mind all day.”

“Yeah,” Keith said softly, “that's fine.” As they walked into the living room, Lance was incredibly aware of how close Keith was behind him. “Or we could talk.”

It was still just Keith. Lance smiled a little as he turned around. “Don't even beat around the bush.” He sat down and picked up the remote. A soft silence fell over them as Lance flipped through Netflix to find something to watch. “I'm sorry... for being so distant.”

“It's okay.”

Lance couldn't even look at him when he spoke. “It's just so different to look at you now. Not because I hate you or am angry, but because I...” As every word came pouring out of his mouth, Lance could feel his face heat up. “I practically worshiped you, man. I wrote you thousands of letters over the years. I remember the day I found out about Voltron and buying my first copy. And now putting a face to this person that has had such an impact on my life...”

“Lance,” Keith interrupted him, “I'm still just me. That's all I've ever wanted to be. It's why I don't tell anyone.” He motioned around himself. “I never wanted any of this new life I've been thrown into, it's why I kept it so quiet. I wasn't ready to tell you for a while, but then I knew I couldn't date you without telling you.” The space between them was both killing Lance and made him feel safe. But he was so very aware of every inch of Keith's side and how close it was to him. “I tried to tell you, I really did. Especially when we got to the convention.”

“I know.”

“I wish I had gotten to tell you in private.”

“Why did you come up there?” All Lance's question got was a confused look from Lance. So he was forced to elaborate. “Why did you come up on stage and show everyone who you were?” For a moment, he thought about taking Keith's hand. He didn't. “You could have told me later. You didn't have to tell everyone who you were.” A smirk finally touched at his lips as he looked at Keith. “It could have been our secret.”

Keith smiled at that. So soft. It made Lance's heart stop for several long seconds. Holy shit. In that moment, Lance realized that he loved Keith. It was a word that he used freely with his family and friends, but had never told it to anyone romantically. He had never been in love. Maybe that was why it snuck up on him like it did. Because until that moment, Keith's smile, it had never dawned on Lance that he might be in love with Keith. But he was.

With a deep breath, Keith said, “I did it because it was what you wanted. You wanted to meet this person that can't even figure out why you would want to worship him. It was the look on your face, the hopefulness there. Maybe I could have waited, I probably should have, but I couldn't stop myself.” Reaching up, Keith pushed some hair away from his face. The action made Lance wish that he had done it. “I didn't even realize what I was doing until I had stepped onto the stage. I... You mean a lot to me, and I didn't want to crush your spirits like that. I can endure the consequences of my action and deal with all this new bullshit, but I just wanted you to be happy.”

“Well that's dumb,” Lance suddenly said. It startled Keith and his eyes went wide as he looked at Lance. “I wouldn't have asked you to come forward as the author for me, especially if I knew why. You wanted to have your normal life, I get it.”

Keith narrowed his eyes at him, dull look in place. “Pidge told you, didn't she?”

“So?” Lance startled. Keith smacked his face.

With a deep breath, Keith finally looked at him again. “It's fine, Lance, really. I'll still be here most of the time, I just won't be able to go to college anymore. Which does suck.”

“Thanks for the free issues,” Lance mumbled.

Keith smiled at that. “You know,” he began, “I have the next issue back at my hotel. I could probably bring it over tomorrow and let you look at it.”

All of this hit Lance and his eyes went wide. Did this mean... He had never considered that Keith might be willing to show him things. Why had he not thought about this in the past month? “Yeah, dude!”

“Or... maybe... you could come to Malmora with me sometime. See where I work.”

“Yes!”

Keith hummed, tapping his lips. “I don't know. I think that's more something for like a boyfriend...”

In the next instant, Lance had shot forward and had them pressed against the back of the couch. “Keith Kogane, you cannot tease me with things like that. It's not fair. Blackmail is beneath you.”

“Is it?”

This was the best news! A super great late Christmas present. None of this had crossed Lance's mind. But then Keith was pushing him off, which made Lance pout. Why was he ruining the moment?

“If you are interested in that,” Keith began, rummaging through his coat. There was a bag there, which Lance had not noticed. Probably because it matched the coat. “I was at work when you texted me, and I brought my sketchbook home with me to work on.” There, in Keith's hand, was exactly what he said. Keith's sketchbook, surely to contain all things Voltron. He dangled it in front of Lance. “If you want to look at it...”

Lance didn't have to be told twice, he snatched it and began to flip through the pages. This was a new one. None of these sketches looked like anything that was in Voltron yet. He looked up to Keith. He needed answers.

Keith sat back down next to Lance, this time leaving no space between them. “A lot of these are for the later issues of this season, and maybe a few ideas I've been having for next season.”

“S-S-Season four?” Lance stuttered, his eyes wide and mouth agape. He was not worthy to hold this, not worthy to look upon it. He tried to hand it back to Keith, but Keith smiled and pushed it back into Lance's lap. “Keith.”

“It's fine, Lance,” Keith whispered. “Just don't go telling anyone.”

As they kissed again, Lance smirked into it and then pulled back just a little. “My lips are sealed,” he said, “at least with some convincing.” Keith just rolled his eyes and kissed him again, both of their bodies going down onto the couch. They never did get around to watching a movie that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, I think I've just been too stressed to really write. Like starting out with this chapter, I had a huge amount of energy to write it, but then the past few days I just have had to force myself to write. Not because I didn't have any ideas, but because I have had my focus on writing that campaign or trying to find a job. If you do want to talk about my fic on like tumblr, use like "Blue Shells and Comic Books" or "xsonofhadesx" for a tag. I typically look under those. And the last one is also my tumblr username if any of you want to follow me. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter, though. As I said, I expect to wrap it up next chapter, unless I decide otherwise. But expect it to end next chapter. Then I will probably start a new klance fic when I cement out an idea or two I am working on. I think that is about it. Feel free to let me know your thoughts in a comment, and I will catch you all later.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it's been a while. Quick update on me. I've had a lot going on. Financial problems being a huge thing, and severe depression. I think the depression was caused by the former. I'm probably going to have to do some moving soon, and I'm not quite sure how that is going to mess with my life yet. I'll talk more about that at the end. But this is just a short epilogue more than anything.
> 
> On a side note, I discovered that my computer has been "correcting" for me the word Marmora. If I went back, I'd probably find the error in my other chapters. But it has been trying to suggest Marmora as Malmora, and I'm not entirely sure why. But now Marmora is in my computer as a legit word, so that should have fixed it. Here at the end of all things. So I'm sorry if anyone has noticed and it has bothered them. I don't even think Malmora is a word, computer!

“I can't believe you're hiding me away like this!” Lance wailed as he slid forward over the arm of the couch, planting his face into the cushions. “You're ashamed of me!”

Keith didn't even look up from his sketching, his eyes just dulling as he listened to Lance. “We literally just got back from England, where we literally held hands at the comic convention. I even introduced you to other authors and people as my boyfriend.” He rolled his eyes when Lance wailed again. “It's just a brief podcast. I'm not even leaving home to do it.”

Keith was right, but that was not the point. The point was that perhaps Lance had been getting plenty of perks in the last six months of dating Keith, and he got a little dramatic when denied. Things had been different, but the same. Keith was still very much the same guy Lance had fell for, but less present than normal. He did have to drop out of college, which bummed Lance out. The good news was that Keith did still live in the same city, and had the same house. He had even invited Lance to move in with him in the fall, mostly to shut Lance up about not seeing each other enough. Not that Lance minded. A win was still a win.

Huffing, Lance slid up into a sitting position beside Keith and leaned his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. Keith glanced at him for a moment, but said nothing. He didn't mind anymore letting Lance look at his work. It was all Lance's fanboy self could ever dream of. Dating the author, getting to go places with him, and getting to see his work before anyone else. He even got a badge that let him go to Marmora Publishing whenever Keith had to stay late and work.

“Those aliens have weird shaped heads,” Lance mumbled.

Keith gave him a dull look. “Well, I kind of need to make each alien race look a little different. So deal with it.”

“Ouch.” Lance smiled as he sat up straight. “Someone hasn't had their coffee.”

Shaking his head, Keith said, “School can't start back fast enough, so you can be distracted with your own work.”

Lance smirked and leaned into Keith, his hand trailing along his thigh. “I can always think of a good distraction.”

“We already did this morning,” Keith mumbled as he blew on the page, sparing Lance a brief glance. “Not to mention like two hours ago. I feel like we are both still a little sore, and I can't believe you're already ready to go again.”

“What can I say? I'm like a machine,” Lance said with a wink.

Keith rolled his eyes and went back to work. Lance smiled, but backed off. He did rest his legs over one of Keith's, while he worked with his sketchbook on the other knee. Their sex life was definitely not an issue. And it wasn't always Lance trying to initiate. Lance had the feeling that Keith having more free time left him bored sometimes, and there was always a fun way to cure boredom with Lance around. Especially with it being warm now and Lance was back to wearing booty shorts and loose sleeveless shirts.

The excess time Keith had was good for Lance as well. Visually anyways. Keith spent more time working out, and he exercised shirtless at home. Which Lance very much appreciated.

Reclining against the arm of the couch, Lance reached for the remote and turned on the TV. Being ready to go again was a bit of an exaggeration on his part, as he was still recovering from their England trip. That had been a lot of hotel sex. A lot.

“Have you called your mom yet?” Lance broke the silence.

“No,” was the only response Keith gave.

“You know, you're going to have to call her eventually. I think waiting six months has been a little extreme.”

Putting his work to the side, Keith got up with a huff. “I can certainly put it off.” Lance's eyes followed Keith until he disappeared into the kitchen. It sounded like Keith was making popcorn, which Lance certainly would not object to. Even if Keith was trying to divert the subject. “It's not a huge deal.”

Lance got up and walked into the kitchen. He walked over to where Keith was and leaned against the cabinet. Keith kept his attention on the microwave while it got their popcorn ready. “Why are you avoiding the issue? You found out she set aside the money she was collecting from your profits to buy you a house.”

“She still left,” Keith muttered, opening the microwave. “She walked out. I barely heard from her. Besides, it sounded like my dad had a hand in this as well.”

“Maybe you should get the full story.”

Shoving the bowl into Lance's hands, Keith narrowed his eyes. “If you're so concerned, why don't you talk to her? She can buy me all the houses she wants, it won't make up for her not being there when it counted.”

\-----------------------------------------------

 

Even though Keith didn't want to admit it, he did take Lance's advice. A week later. He just did not see how talking to his mother was going to fix anything. So, when he called her, she said she would be in town on business the next week and they could talk then over lunch. Lance asked to come and meet Keith's mother, but Keith had shut that down. It wasn't Lance. He did not really want his mother meeting Lance, like she didn't deserve to.

So they met up for lunch in the middle of the week, at a nice restaurant, and sat outside. He wasn't sure what he had expected from it all. Surprisingly, his mother had not shown up in military uniform. He felt like every memory he had over her past a certain age was all of her wearing her uniform.

After they had ordered, Keith fixed his mother with a stare. He sat back in his seat with his arms crossed. All she did was raise her eyebrow, like she was dealing with a child all over again. “You seem well,” was all she said as she took a long drink from her water.

“I'm sure you're happy,” Keith grumbled with a roll of his eyes. “You got what you wanted, I put a face to the author for all the world to see. Profits are up. Yay for you.”

Like her son, Acxa rolled her eyes and sat her drink down. “Keith, I felt it was good for you to get the interaction with your readers. The people that fuel what you do. You wouldn't be able to live out this passion of yours without them, and they deserved to have their love of what you wrote validated by a person.” The two of them stared each other down with a brief silence. “I know you aren't happy about having to give up that normal life you had, but you can't tell me that you aren't happy now that you can immerse yourself around your fans. As I hear it, you even started dating one.”

“First of all,” Keith hissed, “leave Lance out of this. It wasn't like that. We liked each other before he found out who I was.” He hated that smirk his mother wore. “Secondly, I was just fine the way things were.”

“And, yet, you made the decision to reveal yourself on your own. Or for this boy, as Kolivan tells it.”

“Just tell me why you did it?”

“Did what?”

Keith frowned. “You know what I mean. The house. The money,” he hissed. “Why did you do it? Trying to make up for something? No amount of money or nice things will make up for the fact that you were never there.”

His mother's eyebrows furrowed as she stared across the table at him. “See, I knew that was why you always resented me. You never understood what was going on with your father and I, and I never wanted to tell you.” She sighed and rubbed her temple. “Your father and I didn't work out. It was no fault of your own. I had my career in the military and we never saw each other. We both agreed that you would be better off staying with him.” Even though Keith's face remained stern, his mother's softened. A softness that he had not seen on her before, at least not since he was a toddler. “I wanted you taken care of, Keith. But, at the same time, I needed to pursue my career. Your father and I... No, I realized that I wasn't really ready to settle down. But you were never a mistake and I didn't regret having you. I just... needed to go after my goals, like you have been going after yours.”

“You never tried to stay in touch.”

“To be fair, I got the strong impression that you didn't want me to. Right after the divorce, you wouldn't even speak to me. What was I supposed to do? I tried keeping in touch with you, but you didn't want to have anything to do with me.” Acxa let out a heavy sigh. “It was never that I didn't love you, Keith. I just didn't think you needed me. Your father had you looked after, and then he remarried. To a good woman, who I know still looks after you. I was never concerned that you weren't taken care of. I knew you would be.”

Something shattered inside of Keith, like invisible walls that came tumbling down. There was a tight squeeze in his gut. He felt guilty, but at the same time didn't want to admit to anything.

His mother continued, “Your father and I talked after you got picked up by Marmora. We agreed that I would take a portion of the money and set it aside over the years, and that when I felt you were ready, I would buy you a home. There is still more. Technically, enough for a second house. But, for now, I figured you were happy here in this city. Work is here... and your boyfriend is here.” She took another sip of her drink, like she was waiting for Keith to talk, but he couldn't even look up at her. “Sweetheart, there was nothing that was said to me that I couldn't handle. I knew you were just lashing out. I was fine being the villain.” Then there was a smile. “I even felt honored that you put me in your story, even if it was one of the villains.”

“For the last time, I never-” Keith let out a sigh and snatched his drink up, brow furrowed. His mother smirked at him. “Whatever. You could have told me this already.”

“Would you have believed me?”

Fair enough. Keith probably wouldn't have. Still, she had never tried. “So what is it you want now?” he asked.

His mother raised a brow and said, “You tell me. You're the one that asked me to talk.”

“I don't... know.” Keith slouched in his seat. He didn't like being without an answer when it came to his mother. He was used to their bickering and exchange of sharp words, not reason. His eyes snapped away from his mother. “I guess you can come around when you're in town... if you want. Not like I care, or anything.”

But his mother smiled, not really believing what came out of Keith's mouth. “Of course.”

Their food arrived after that and the two fell into a silence. Keith was aware that she kept looking at him, but it was hard for him to look back. There was definitely some guilt buried in there. Also some hope that maybe things could turn around for him and his mother. But he wasn't going to let himself get too close. At least not yet.

And it would be a while before she earned the right to meet Lance.

\----------------------------------

“Aren't you supposed to be studying?” Pidge asked, not even looking over the top of her textbook, from the couch.

Lance huffed and dropped his head onto his own textbook. He was currently splayed out on the floor, at Hunk and Pidge's apartment. They had sold the old place, since Lance had moved out to move in with Keith, and now Shay had moved in with Hunk. Although neither of those two were currently here, as it was their date night.

Groaning, Lance rolled onto his back. “He's been gone all week,” he whined, throwing an arm over his face. Pidge grunted at him. “He could at least text.”

“He's in China. I feel he deserves a little credit.”

Lance really did enjoy dating Keith and loved what Keith did for a living, of course, but it was hard on the relationship thing. Not in a sense that Lance felt neglected, at least not by a normal sense. Lance just had a lot of affection to go around and Keith wasn't there to get it. And he wouldn't be back for another three days. After China, he was making a stop in Japan.

On the bright side, Keith did always bring Lance back cool souvenirs from wherever he went.

He did get to go with Keith from time to time, but not during when school was going on. His mother's orders. Keith had been nice enough to send him plenty of Snapchats from his trip, which had been pretty cool. It was just hard sometimes, sharing Keith with others that also admired him.

Luckily for Lance, Keith was going to be back at the perfect time. When he returned, it would be a year since they first met. It was so weird to think that a year had passed. Back then, Keith was just the hot, tense guy with a mullet. Now he was Lance's hot, tense boyfriend with a mullet.

They had spent a week with Lance's family on the Fourth of July. Lance wasn't sure he had ever been so stressed. He wasn't worried that his family wouldn't like Keith, it was more that he was afraid they would scare Keith away with all their questions. But that week had been amazing. Seeing Keith with his family had left such a warm filling in Lance. So much so that he didn't think he stopped smiling that whole week. If he hadn't known before, Lance definitely knew now that he made the right choice with Keith.

And, of course, his mother had insisted that Keith come back and spend Christmas with them.

Keith really didn't have a say in the matter, according to Lance's mom.

Lance's phone buzzed and he instantly snatched it up. It was a Snapchat from Keith. He grinned and opened it up. After several agonizing pictures sent, Lance had told Keith that he needed to extend the time on viewing photos. But now Lance was happy to see his boyfriend, currently standing on the Great Wall, arm outstretched behind him at the view. Lance pointed the screen to Pidge, who adjusted her glasses and peered at it.

“Too bad you couldn't go,” she said. “That would be such a cool trip.”

Lance laid on his back and sent Keith a text. “Maybe next time. I'm just ready for him to come home.”

 

Pulling the key from the door, Keith was faced with a dark house. Weird, he thought to himself, he was pretty sure that Lance was going to be here. He did text his boyfriend when he landed. “I'm home,” Keith called out into the dark house.

No response.

He checked his phone as he closed the door behind him, leaving his suitcase near the door. He would deal with it later. No texts from Lance, though. But something did catch his attention. Was... Was something burning? And was that music?

Slowly, Keith followed his ears and nose up the stairs and down the hall. As he neared his bedroom, he could see the flickering of candlelight from the cracked door. Keith pushed it open, fearing what he might find. Nothing horrific, just afraid of what Lance might have concocted in his head.

There, on the bed, under the covers and probably naked, was Lance with a rose in his mouth. “Africa” by Toto was playing. Keith fixed his boyfriend with a dull look as Lance wagged his eyebrows at him. He was too jetlagged for this.

“Lance,” Keith began, but was cut off.

“I just thought you deserved something romantic on this the anniversary of our meeting.”

Taking in a deep breath, Keith looked around at all the candles in the room. “You mean the time you insulted me and shoved your ass in my face while doing yoga?” he smirked. “How could I forget? Although, I much prefer the way you do yoga these days.”

That was because Lance did not wear clothes when he did yoga at Keith's place, and it was always a welcome distraction for Keith. Probably not a favorite distraction for Thace or Kolivan, who had to deal with Keith turning in work late once or twice because of it.

Lance slid across the bed on his stomach, the covers falling away to confirm that he was indeed naked. “Did you miss me?”

“What kind of question is that?” Keith asked as he stripped himself of his own clothing. Lance let out a yelp as Keith jumped over him to land on the bed, then pulling their bodies together for a kiss. “China was amazing, but I did miss you.”

Lance rolled them until Keith was on his back, and then straddled Keith's waist, trailing his fingers along Keith's bare chest. Keith placed his arms behind his head as he let Lance admire his body. He really had missed Lance.

“So,” Keith continued, “I do have to get up early tomorrow morning.”

Lance whined, “But it's a Saturday!”

“Interview. Sorry. You're welcome to come with me, though.”

Sulking as he leaned down to kiss Keith's neck, Lance grunted. “Fine, but only if we can stop by for coffee first.”

“Deal.”

\-------------------------------------------------

“So, Keith,” the woman interviewing him for nerd/gaming Youtube channel asked him, “ you've had quite the year. Ever since you revealed yourself, you've been quite busy. Your sales have gone up, and all the girls are crazy about you.”

Keith cleared his throat as he sat in his chair, eyes briefly cutting over to Lance, who was busy filling up on the snacks laid out. “Uh, well, I do have someone.”

“Of course.” She gave a big smile to the camera with a wink. “I must say, I got a look at your boyfriend before we got started, and he's pretty hot.”

That got Keith to smile and relax. He still was not entirely used to the whole interview thing, but there were the occasional ones that managed to say something to get him to calm down. “Thank you. We've been pretty happy. He found out when everyone else did, which did cause a shock for him, but we are doing pretty well now.” Lance beamed over at him, mouth full of food. Keith arched a brow at him. “He has his moments, I guess.”

“So what can we expect from you next? Your last season of issues just finished, and you had a lot going on. So where will you go from here?”

Keith could already hear Thace screaming at him inside his head to not reveal anything. “Well, like everyone else, you'll have to wait and see. We will be revealing a few things at the Voltron convention at the end of the year, but I'm afraid I can't really give anything away.” She laughed and placed a hand on his arm. He never really liked the contact some interviewers gave him. “I'm working on a few things, a few possible directions.” He laughed nervously. “I think that the next season might receive a big reaction. We will just have to see on what kind that is.”

Understatement. Keith was still a little unsure if his upcoming storyboard was the right way to go. Ulaz had made a few suggestions and Keith was left uncertain. He had made the changes, though. However, he was still on edge for how the fans would receive the next season of issues.

“Well,” the woman said, “I don't want to take up too much of your time. I just want to thank you for taking the time to chat with us.”

“Thank you,” Keith said with a practiced smile.

Then she turned to the camera with a smile and a lot of energetic motion. “Just us next week for another set of topics and another guest. Until next time!”

And they were done. Keith breathed a visible sigh of relief when it was over and he was able to stand up. He made a beeline for Lance after shaking the woman's hand again. Lance smiled and held out a doughnut. “Want some?” he asked.

Keith stared at it for a moment, but took a bite. “I feel like you were more interested in the food.”

“I was listening. I heard all the great things you had to say about me.”

“Ha ha.”

Thace interjected their talking with a tap to Keith's shoulder. “Well, now that that's done, you are free for the day. You're ahead of schedule, so we don't have anything for you for the next few days.” He eyed the both of him. “Just don't get too complacent with your time.”

They both laughed as Thace walked off. While he had been in China, Keith had gotten a major jump start on his work. It was mainly so that he could have more time with Lance upon getting back.

When he turned to look at Lance again, Keith found his boyfriend giving him a wry look. “Do you know what I'm thinking?” Lance asked. “Since you have the whole day off, that is.”

“Um-”

“Mario Kart,” Lance finished. Keith chuckled as they held hands and walked towards the exit. “You still owe me a rematch after you cheated last year.”

Keith scoffed, “I cheated? Please, you just can't accept that I kicked your ass.”

“Whatever. This time, you're going down, Mr. Kogane. Loser does the dishes for the rest of the week!”

The sun greeted them as they came out into the still morning light. Keith just arched a brow at him before they kissed. “Well then,” another kiss, “I hope you like doing dishes.”

Lance did, in fact, end up doing the dishes. He was very salty the rest of the evening. He had almost gotten over that finish line, if it wasn't for that stupid blue shell!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Like I said, a short epilogue. I'm afraid some of it might have felt overdone or rushed at the end, but I just have not had much energy at all for writing lately. But I wanted to see this finished before whatever happens with me happens. And I don't mean that to sound ominous. It's just that I'm having to give up my apartment and either move in with friends or back to my family. Finding a job where I live has been rough. I did find a part-time job, but not soon enough and definitely not enough money. So we will see what happens.
> 
> I do hope you enjoyed this fic. As I said previously, I will be writing more. I'm not sure when. Just whenever everything settles and I can settle on a new plot for my next fic. It will be another klance fic. I think I'm leaning towards a soulmark one, but I'm not sure just yet. There are several au ideas I'm looking at. So keep an eye out for that at some point. I'm not sure how long I'll be aiming to make it or the rating. Smut might be included. I don't know just yet. It'll depend on what I land on. And I'm going to put more time into the next one. You know, improve from where I was with this fic. But that's all for now. Again, thank you all for taking the time to read this fic and all the nice comments I've heard about it. I will hopefully be seeing you all soon with a new story.


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